Listening

Hello dear readers!

Today we are going to improve our listening skills.

Font:https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/caricatura-cuadro-fantas%c3%ada-5267148/

Developing our students' listening skills is the most important point when teaching them English as a second language. They need to have a lot of listening input, as they did with their mother tongue when they were kids.

As languages are mainly oral, the practice of oral skills is essential. Students are not going to be in touch with grammar until final courses, so, listening is the way they will find out how grammar works, and they will take it as example in their future speeches.

Moreover, speaking has always been regarded as a source of nervousness for students, because they get lost when speakers speak too fast of with vocabulary they do not understand.

The main aim of this activity is to improve our listening skills, through these other aims:

- To listen to short phrases.

- To reflect on the meaning of what is heard.

- To choose the correct answer.

- To improve listening comprehension.

This activity has been designed for 3th of primary (8-9 years old), and it is called The parts of the body-frog.

The material we need to carry it out are: computers with internet connection in the computer classroom.

Let's see the steps we need to follow:

1. We create an activity with Educaplay:

💥Educaplay- The parts of the body💥

2. We divide the students in pairs and they have to listen to the phrases and try to answer correctly to help the frog to cross the river.

Cristina Hilario

Referencies:

CDD20. (2020). Imagen de Caricatura, Cuadro y Fantasía [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/caricatura-cuadro-fantas%c3%ada-5267148/

Daniel64. (2015). Imagen de Brazo, Músculo y Fuerte [Photography]. https://pixabay.com/es/photos/brazo-m%c3%basculo-fuerte-b%c3%adceps-735823/

Kinkate. (2017). Imagen de Correr, Deporte y Empujoncito [Photography]. https://pixabay.com/es/photos/correr-deporte-empujoncito-2343558/

No-longer-here. (2013). Imagen de Labios, Rosado y Sexy [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/labios-rosado-sexy-mujer-ni%c3%b1a-220244/

Kalhh. (2015). Imagen de Parte superior del cuerpo, Pulmón y Copd [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/parte-superior-del-cuerpo-pulm%c3%b3n-944557/

Clker-Free-Vector-Images. (2012). Imagen de Ojo, Verde y Alumno [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/ojo-verde-alumno-humano-vista-38039/

Clker-Free-Vector-Images. (2012). Imagen de Lengua, Pega y Boca [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/lengua-pega-boca-cuerpo-humano-35319/

Clker-Free-Vector-Images. (2014). Imagen de Nariz, Caucásico y Piel [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/nariz-cauc%c3%a1sico-piel-blanco-310733/

Byrev. (2013). Imagen de Descalzo, Playa y Cubierto [Photography]. https://pixabay.com/es/photos/descalzo-playa-cubierto-pies-mujer-88478/

Xavalox. (2013). Imagen de Pies, Niña y Dedos [Photography]. https://pixabay.com/es/photos/pies-ni%c3%b1a-dedos-partes-del-cuerpo-179233/

TheDigitalArtist. (2019). Imagen de Cerebro, Pensamiento y Mente [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/cerebro-pensamiento-mente-4314636/

Educaplay. (2023). Parts of the body. https://es.educaplay.com/recursos-educativos/14901736-parts_of_the_body.html

Reading

Hello dear readers!

Today we are going to improve our reading skills.

Font: https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/narraci%c3%b3n-fantas%c3%ada-imaginaci%c3%b3n-4203628/

Although the skills more worked during the primary school are the oral ones (speaking and listening), we cannot forget the importance of starting reading some pieces of text in order to familiarize with the written language.

The main aim of this activity is to improve our reading skills, through these other aims:

- To read some short phrases.

- To reflect on the meaning of what is read.

- To know how to relate different words in a whole phrase.

- To improve the reading comprehension.

This activity has been designed for 6th of primary (11-12 years old), and it is called Discover the character.

The material we need to carry it out are: a computer with internet connection.

Let's see the steps we need to follow:

1. We create an activity with Genially. There are some clues and students have to discover what famous character they are referred to:

💥Genially - Discover the character💥

2. We divide the students in groups of 4, and they compete to see who can guess the hidden character. The first group to get it right, wins 1 point.

3. The group with more points is the winner of the game, and we can give them a reward, like some stickers.

We can add all the characters we want to the game.

Cristina Hilario

Referencies:

Tumisu. (2019). Imagen de Narración, Fantasía y Imaginación [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/narraci%c3%b3n-fantas%c3%ada-imaginaci%c3%b3n-4203628/

Genially. (2023). Discover the character. https://view.genial.ly/6460f8363ed7fb0011d2e3a7/interactive-content-discover-the-character

Wikipedia. (2016). Vasili Kandinski. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasili_Kandinski

Writing

Hello dear readers!

Today we are going to improve our writing skills.

Font: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/ni%c3%b1o-educaci%c3%b3n-escribiendo-ni%c3%b1a-6591484/

It is not easy to work writing activities in primary school levels, since students are not going to reflect upon grammar explicitly during the first years, but in the last ones, when they have worked grammar structures in their mother tongue as well.

Nevertheless, it does not mean that we cannot introduce some writing skills in our teaching process. The best way, is doing it in a motivated way and step by step.

The main aim of this activity is to improve our writing skills, through these other aims:

- To refresh vocabulary about weather and climate.

- To refresh how to write some words related with wather and climate.

- To spell words correctly.

This activity has been designed for 3th of primary (8-9 years old), and it is called What's the weather today?

The material we need to carry it out are: computers with internet connection in a computer room.

Let's see the steps we need to follow:

1. We create an activity with Educaplay in which students are going to order the letters or words related with weather:

💥Educaplay - weather💥

2. We divide the students in pairs to do this activity.

Cristina Hilario

Referencies:

b13923790. (2021). Imagen de Niño, Educación y Escribiendo [Photography]. https://pixabay.com/es/photos/ni%c3%b1o-educaci%c3%b3n-escribiendo-ni%c3%b1a-6591484/

Educaplay. (2023). Vocabulary about weather. https://es.educaplay.com/recursos-educativos/14900473-what_s_the_weather_today.html

Speaking & Listening

Hello dear readers!

Today we are going to improve our oral skills.

Font: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/playmobil-caracteres-cita-451203/

One of the skills that make students feel more nervous is speaking, because they are afraid of mistaken and do not feel comfortable speaking in a language that do not master. So, we as teachers, need to improve their oral skills encouraging them to speak without fear, but not pushing they to do it unless they feel ready.

The main aim of this activity is to improve our oral skills, through these other aims:

- To learn vocabulary about describing people.

- To improve our English pronunciation.

- To speak in front of our classmates.

- To improve our active listening.

This activity has been designed for 4th of primary (9-10 years old), and it is called Who is the secret person?

The material we need to carry it out are: a computer with internet connection, a digital board, and some papers students need to take notes.

Let's see the steps we need to follow:

1. To create a world cloud with all the vocabulary we know about describing people. It will be done mixing brainstorming ideas of students and new vocabulary provided by the teacher., and display it in the digital board so that they can have a look. Let's see an example made with Fippity:

💥Flippity - word cloud💥

2. We distribute among the students a paper with incompleted phrases like this one:

      Font: Created on my own

3. We give students some minutes to familiarize with this vocabulary and ask them to prepare a short brief with a description of one of their classmates (they cannot say who they are going to describe).

4. One by one, have to put in front of their classmates and, looking to the word cloud and helping with their draft, have to describe a classmate in more or less a couple of minutes, and the others have to listen carefully and try to guess whos is he/she describing, asking him/her questions if they have doubts, establishing a dialogue following the rules given on the sheet.

This activity can be adapted to many other topics, and is helpul to improve oral skills.

Cristina Hilario

Referencies:

Flippity. (2023). Imaginary person. https://flippity.net/wc.php?c=pony-tail,fair%20hair,curly%20hair,short%20hair,long%20hair,tall,short,thin,fat,blond%20hair,bald,beard,moustache,straight%20hair,dark%20hair,glasses,old,young,medium%20height,smart,scruffy,grey%20hair,redhead,braces,freckle&t=Imaginary%20person

422737. (2014). Imagen de Playmobil, Caracteres y Cita [Photography]. https://pixabay.com/es/photos/playmobil-caracteres-cita-451203/ 

ESL Tools for Primary Schools - Some pills to improve your skills

 Welcome to my blog!

Font: https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/estudiante-ni%c3%b1o-peque%c3%b1o-2632361/

The aim of this blog is to come up with ideas to work English as a foreing language in primary school, in an interactive way with our students at the same time we cover the four basic skills:

speaking - listening - reading - writing

My name is Cristina. I am a mother of two girls that enjoy going to school to learn a lot, so I wish to become one day in one of those teachers who are capable of guiding kids to their success in life.

Hope you enjoy this blog.

Cristina Hilario

Referencies:

JinHJ. (2017). Imagen de Estudiante, Niño pequeño y La escuela primaria [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/estudiante-ni%c3%b1o-peque%c3%b1o-2632361/