Curiosities :: English Class

Curiosities :: English Class

O PAPEL DO PROFESSOR

Antigamente nossos alunos não tinham acesso a tanta informação, então era quase que suficiente e esclarecedor o papel do professor como transmissor de conhecimentos. Porém, com o surgimento das novas tecnologias, esse papel passou a ter outro significado. O fato é que quando recebemos nossos alunos em sala, eles é quem fazem os primeiros questionamentos que nos levam a refletir. Portanto, devemos estar preparados para lidar com esse novo padrão de aluno de forma que possamos ser mediadores, facilitadores e capacitadores. O professor, dentro desse contexto, não pode mais somente dar aulas, mas sim construí-las com a participação dos alunos, levando em consideração o conhecimento prévio dos mesmos criando um ambiente acolhedor e favorável para que a aprendizagem aconteça de forma significativa.

Ensinar...

Ensinar é promover as intervenções necessárias para que a aprendizagem aconteça. Ensinar é incentivar, motivar e capacitar o aprendiz para que o mesmo, através das intervenções, orientações necessárias, possa dar significado aos conhecimentos adquiridos.

The influence of a language that is becoming more and more important

English has become part of our lives since we needed a universal language to communicate with other people. It is also used primarily on the internet, which today connects millions of people worldwide. Besides, the increasing significance of an English language is the consequences of English influence on others languages, globalization and the incorporation of the loanwords. We need to know these cultural aspects to understand how this language took place in our lives in such important way even not being our first language.

English, which is an official language, is spoken in 52 countries as well as many small colonies and territories. This information is always given by teachers. However, the reason why it is so recognized is not explained. British people took advantages from those who cannot speak the same language. Thus, they used their imperial model to get political control over colonized peoples. By acting like this, they got commercial centrality and cultural role in the world community. At the same time, the spread of English to America and Australia was beginning by the migrations of English- speaking peoples from the British Isles. People started to speak English because of British colonization. Then, there were more and more people who spoke English such as America, Australia and Canada. So, the English influence and English influence on others languages are important aspects to be included on English for foreign learners’ classes.

Second, we need to talk about globalization, which is the reason why English is becoming important, too. Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among people from different nations and has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic developments and prosperity. English is necessary for this process of global interaction moves forward. Moreover, English is the standard form of communication and it's used worldwide by people who are from different countries but need to communicate with each other.

After spreading around the world, it is easy to understand why we have some loanwords like internet, pizza, delivery, fashion, jeans, football, delete, shopping, hotel, among others, in our vocabulary. Loanword is a word borrowed from one language and incorporated into another because of the historical, social and political aspects, fashion way and, in most of the cases, because of the globalization.

Including these aspects in a class for foreign learners are not enough when we are talking about a good understanding in cultural aspects. But, they include information that creates opportunities to talk about many things. So, they expand our subjects in class giving us facilities to motivate our student’s attention to cultural aspects that are so important to learn when teaching English.

EnSiNaNdO LíNGuA iNgLeSa Na AtUaLiDaDe: DoCênCiA

EnSiNaNdO LíNGuA iNgLeSa Na AtUaLiDaDe: DoCênCiA: Ultimamente a atividade docente exige muito mais dos educadores, pois perante a um movimento repleto de novas tecnologias, fazem-se neces...

Reading/Writing/Film connections activity

Reading/Writing/Film connections:

 

This story/film reminds me of_____________, because____________, just like_____________.

 

e.g. The film where Mr. Bean makes a sandwich reminds me of Danieli and Cristiane, because they used a card to put their butter on the bread, just like Mr. Bean did in the film.

 

Click Clack Moo reminds me of the time I went to my aunt’s farm, because she had a lot of cows, just like Farmer Brown had a lot of cows in the book.

 (determine whether a connection is a text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world connection and group them).

Interesting activity

Movie Cloze:

 

Fill in the blanks below in the words in the box:

 

action actors animation blockbusters cameo camera

character comedy critic documentary extra genre

horror plot projector scenes sci-fi screen

sequel setting star theater ticket usher

 

Parts of the Movie:

The place or time a movie takes place is called the _________________. What happens in a movie is called the _____________. A movie is usually broken up into many _________________.  The movie is filmed with a ________________.

 

People in Movies:

The people who act in the movie are _________________. A _______________ is a part that an actor plays. The main actor is sometimes called the ____________________. When a famous person has a short appearance in a film it is called a ___________________. An ______________ is an unimportant person who acts in the background. A ________________ is a person who watches movies and writes reviews about them.

 

Movie Genres:

The type of movie is the movie _________________. A movie that makes you laugh is a ___________________. A movie that makes you scream is a ___________________movie. A movie that is exciting with lots of guns and explosions is an _________________ movie. Movies about the future or space are known as __________________ films. And a movie about real life is a _______________________. An __________________ film has cartoon characters.

Blockbusters

Movies with big budgets that sell a lot of tickets are called ______________________. Many of these movies do so well that movie producers make a _______________, or part II.

 

At the Theater: The place where you watch a movie is called a _________________. To see a movie, usually, you have to buy a __________________. The movie is projected onto a large _______________ using a movie _________________. An __________________ is a person who shows you to your seat and makes sure everybody is quiet during the movie.

© 2005 www.bogglesworldesl.com

 

Movie Cloze:

 

Fill in the blanks below in the words in the box:

 

action actors animation blockbusters cameo camera

character comedy critic documentary extra genre

horror plot projector scenes sci-fi screen

sequel setting star theater ticket usher

 

Parts of the Movie:

The place or time a movie takes place is called the setting. What happens in a movie is called the plot. A movie is usually broken up into many scenes.  The movie is filmed with a camera.

 

People in Movies:

The people who act in the movie are actors. A character is a part that an actor plays. The main actor is sometimes called the star. When a famous person has a short appearance in a film it is called a cameo. An extra is an unimportant person who acts in the background. A critic is a person who watches movies and writes reviews about them.

 

Movie Genres:

The type of movie is the movie genre. A movie that makes you laugh is a comedy. A movie that makes you scream is a horror movie. A movie that is exciting with lots of guns and explosions is an action movie. Movies about the future or space are known as sci-fi films. And a movie about real life is a documentary. An animation film has cartoon characters.

Blockbusters

Movies with big budgets that sell a lot of tickets are called blockbusters. Many of these movies do so well that movie producers make a sequel, or part II.

 

At the Theater: The place where you watch a movie is called a theater. To see a movie, usually, you have to buy a ticket. The movie is projected onto a large screen using a movie projector. An usher is a person who shows you to your seat and makes sure everybody is quiet during the movie.

© 2005 www.bogglesworldesl.com

 

Trying to know your students better - I AM A POEM

I AM___________________

I am _________________________________

I wonder ______________________________

I hear ________________________________

I see _________________________________

I want to ______________________________

I am __________________________________

I pretend to ____________________________

I feel _________________________________

I touch ________________________________

I worry ________________________________

I cry __________________________________

I am ___________________________________

I understand ____________________________

I say ___________________________________

I dream _________________________________

I try ___________________________________

I hope __________________________________

I am ___________________________________

 

I AM a girl on a journey

I am a girl on a journey.

I wonder where I will be next year.

I hear ocean waves crashing onto the sand.

I see the mountains near my home.

I want to be a good teacher.

I am a girl on a journey.

I pretend to go back in time and visit places in history.

I feel blessed.

I touch a whale.

I worry that I won’t have an impact.

I cry when I see people hurting.

I am a girl on a journey.

I understand that God has a plan.

I say that everyone in the world wants to be loved.

I dream of raising a family.

I try to see people the way God views them

I hope to write a book someday.

I am a girl on a journey.

WRITTEN BY LEAH HENRY.

Powerpoint on respect and classroom environment/expectations by an amazing teacher: Leah Henry

Content based teaching and academic language.

Here are some good articles by Dr. Brown, one of my best teachers from Knoxville, about content based teaching and academic language.

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Brown-CBEC.html

academic language for esl learners - MightyStudents.com

Observing classes in Lenoir City Schools

Observing classes in Lenoir City Schools

 

During our visit in Lenoir City Schools we had a chance to watch classes of elementary and high school levels.  In elementary school, me and my partner watched an ESL class for kids about five to seven years old. The teacher started the class with a video about numbers from 1 to 20. In the first moment they just listened and watched. Second, the kids sang loud the song following the video. They were really excited because they were able to understand the numbers. Afterward, the teacher introduced a previewing book for the kids. She told the story using an English book, and then in Spanish, due the fact that the kids mother tongue is Spanish. To finish the class, the teacher asked the kids to make a draw about any element from the story they had listened to. It was a good way to help students show their learning.

After that, we went to high schools and we observed two different classes; one of drama and the other of English. In the drama class, the teacher asked some students to represent a scene using   techniques like mime, taken pictures. It might seem that they were playing “Simon says”. One student   had to introduce a scene from whatever he wanted and then he had to say “Click”. From this point, the others students were able to follow the instructions, add some new information through their movements and freezing their bodies while the story is told. The students loved this class and we have to agree that dynamic classes are always welcome.  In the English class, the teacher asked students to make their self-assessment concerning the essays they had done days ago. After that, they explained the structure of an essay that consists in introduction, development and conclusion.

Observing those classes we could note some significant differences from our reality in Brazil such as the students’ behavior, motivation and participation. Moreover, the number of students in classes, mainly in elementary schools, is very low than we have in Brazil. The school’s structure represents also a big difference considering Brazilian’s schools. Regarding the similarities, the methods and techniques are close of what we are able to use in our classes. The things we found interesting was that in high school they put in the entrance the pictures of the top ten students what we understand being a good motivation for them. Also, they put pictures of the graduated ones and the best at sports. Besides, we were surprised about the students` behave. They raise their hands when they want to ask something being respectful with the teachers.