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Two heads are better than one
It is always better to get the view of another than to rely entirely on one's own judgment.
What's done can't be undone
In life there are some things once done or decisions once made cannot be changed; malicious words once uttered or harmful actions once done cannot be taken back.
More about tea
Have you ever heard of tea superstitions? Here are some of them:
If the lid is accidentally left off the teapot, you may expect a stranger bearing ill tidings.
To spill a little tea whilst making it is a lucky omen
To stir the tea in the pot anticlockwise will stir up trouble.
Bubbles on tea denote kisses.
If the lid is accidentally left off the teapot, you may expect a stranger bearing ill tidings.
To spill a little tea whilst making it is a lucky omen
To stir the tea in the pot anticlockwise will stir up trouble.
Bubbles on tea denote kisses.
Word Central for Kids
Merrian Webster's Online is an amazing site which provides a free online dictionary, thesaurus, audio pronunciations, Word of the Day, word games, and other English language resources. Don’t miss Word Central for kids with its Online Student Thesaurus, the classic section Build your own Dictionary and two new games: Robo-Bee and BIGbot. It's super to use in your English class
A burnt child dreads fire
A bad experience or a horrifying incident may scar one's attitude or thinking for a lifetime.
The art of drinking tea
The British love tea and they have a great inheritage of it. Tea drinking started in the 17th century and the tradition of afternoon tea dates back to the early 1800s. If you want to know more about this old British tradition, read How to drink tea and you’ll get relevant details about the history and the making of tea.
English for Children
Surfing on the net, I’ve found this amazing site The Internet Public Library, a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment. Here you’ll find loads of interesting information to use in your English lessons. Last February 21st was the International Mother Language Day and if you want to make your schoolchildren learn how to say “hello” or “goodbye” in different languages, don’t miss it.
Ringing idioms
Ringing the changes
When we ring the changes, we do things in many different ways. Sometimes it seems that the changes are made just to have change. The term comes from bell-ringing. The "changes" are the different orders in which the ringers can ring the bells.
When we ring the changes, we do things in many different ways. Sometimes it seems that the changes are made just to have change. The term comes from bell-ringing. The "changes" are the different orders in which the ringers can ring the bells.
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A person who never settles in one place or who often changes his job will not succeed in life ; one who is always changing his mind will never get anything done.
Animal Idioms
Are you acting the goat?
If you act the goat, then you are deliberately behaving in a foolish or silly way. On the other hand, if you get somebody's goat, you annoy them very much.
If you act the goat, then you are deliberately behaving in a foolish or silly way. On the other hand, if you get somebody's goat, you annoy them very much.
Learn English
Have a look at LearnEnglish a site offered by the British Council with activities and advice for children and teenagers.
Animal Idioms
They are killing the goose that lays the golden egg
This expression is used to refer to an action which destroys or ends something which brings you profit or success.
This expression is used to refer to an action which destroys or ends something which brings you profit or success.
Empty vessels make the most noise
Those people who have a little knowledge usually talk the most and make the greatest fuss.
More interesting sites on the net
If you like amusing facts as much as I do, I highly reccomend Amusing Facts where you'll find different content channels, for example, fact articles, weird town names, stupid jokes and many others.
Another one is Corsinet with lots of information about unusual facts divided into categories. I personally recommend "Famous Endings".
Another one is Corsinet with lots of information about unusual facts divided into categories. I personally recommend "Famous Endings".
Political Idioms
Banana Republic
The term is a rude and dismissive way of describing a country that is politically unstable, poor and under-developed.
The term is a rude and dismissive way of describing a country that is politically unstable, poor and under-developed.
International Exams: Cambridge FCE
I encourage you to have a look at these two sites:
Ready for First Certificate. This is one of the very best books for preparation. However, if you don’t have the book, the site offers you heaps of downloadable material to be used throughout the course.
Mansion Ingles. This is a Spanish site for FCE. There’s a FAQ section at the beginning, but the most attractive comes after, because you’ve got on line exercises to practise every component. As they are on line, you can try downloading them.
Ready for First Certificate. This is one of the very best books for preparation. However, if you don’t have the book, the site offers you heaps of downloadable material to be used throughout the course.
Mansion Ingles. This is a Spanish site for FCE. There’s a FAQ section at the beginning, but the most attractive comes after, because you’ve got on line exercises to practise every component. As they are on line, you can try downloading them.
Habit is second nature
An act done repeatedly and often enough will sooner or later become a habit or second nature.
Money Idioms
Money doesn't grow on trees
An expression often used when explaining why you are not going to give someone any money.
An expression often used when explaining why you are not going to give someone any money.
Back to School Activities and Crafts
Another academic course starts, so don't forget to have a peek at Back-to-School Activities and Crafts. Their creators say:"These back-to-school activities and crafts are simple to do and are great as ice-breakers for the beginning of the school year. They help your schoolchildren and teacher get to know one another. Also, it may help students find those people in the class who share similar interests, helping them make friends".
Ringing Idioms
Ring true
Something that rings true is genuine. If it rings false, then it is fake.
The expression is thought to come from the days when coins were made of pure metal. A genuine coin, struck on a hard surface, gave a pure musical sound. A forgery might be made of a mixture of metals. It gave a dull sound when struck.
Something that rings true is genuine. If it rings false, then it is fake.
The expression is thought to come from the days when coins were made of pure metal. A genuine coin, struck on a hard surface, gave a pure musical sound. A forgery might be made of a mixture of metals. It gave a dull sound when struck.
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit
It is better to be careful and discrete than to be clever.
English for Little Children
English for Little Children, aimed at pre-school children, is one more useful resource to use in your English class. As their authors point out, "English..." is complementary to any English course.
A site I recommend
I encourage you to explore the Teaching and Learning Collaboration blog which features articles, commentary, news, and links focusing on teaching resources and relevant information about EFL.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Based on Oscar Wilde’s play, this is a film by Oliver Parker who has taken liberties with the source material: he’s cut, pasted, re-arranged and added. However, “The Importance…” remains a witty piece of writing faithful to Wilde’s irreverent spirit (if not always to the letter). Dialogues are rich in humour and Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell is simply perfect.
Learning through stories 2
Some time ago, I recommended a great site (Starfall.com) for teaching children to learn and most importantly to enjoy reading. As this site explains: "This program was created to meet the needs of the emergent reader by incorporating rhyming games and high-interest books that teach phonemic awareness (sounds in words), phonics, decoding skills, and comprehension. The program is designed to instill confidence and enable the child to proceed as quickly as possible to a balanced reading program".
This time, I'd like to recommend a wonderful site called "Clifford The Big Red Dog". You'll find different sections and in "Read and Write Stories", you can enjoy "Emily Elizabeth goes to school", "Where's Emily Elizabeth?" and "Clifford's Big Dig".
This time, I'd like to recommend a wonderful site called "Clifford The Big Red Dog". You'll find different sections and in "Read and Write Stories", you can enjoy "Emily Elizabeth goes to school", "Where's Emily Elizabeth?" and "Clifford's Big Dig".
Music Idioms
Play it by ear
If you play something by ear, then you decide how to act or respond to a situation as it happens, rather than by planning in advance how you are going to act.
If you do not respond or act well, you could be "out on you ear". This means you have suddenly been told to leave or been dismissed from a course, job, or group.
If you play something by ear, then you decide how to act or respond to a situation as it happens, rather than by planning in advance how you are going to act.
If you do not respond or act well, you could be "out on you ear". This means you have suddenly been told to leave or been dismissed from a course, job, or group.
Ringing Idioms
Ring a bell
When something rings a bell, it means that we find it familiar. It is especially used when reminding someone else of a shared experience. It can also be applied to people. No one seems to know the origin of this idiom.
When something rings a bell, it means that we find it familiar. It is especially used when reminding someone else of a shared experience. It can also be applied to people. No one seems to know the origin of this idiom.
Little Explorers
Little Explorers is an English picture dictionary for children. Highly reccommendable to use in your English classroom.
Every cloud has a silver lining
If you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you mean that every sad or unpleasant situation has a positive side to it. If you talk about silver lining you are talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant situation.
My days in London
The London Eye is a huge ferris wheel situated on the South Bank. It opened in 2000 and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. The twenty-minute ride provides breathtaking views across all of London. At night it's simply beautiful!
For more information, go to London Eye.
Money Idioms
Money talks
A saying which means that money gives you influence and power, and allows you to do whatever you want. (Spanish: poderoso caballero es don Dinero)
Put your money where your mouth is
This is an informal expression which means you give practical support to what you have just said, often in the form of money. (Spanish: predicar con el ejemplo)
A saying which means that money gives you influence and power, and allows you to do whatever you want. (Spanish: poderoso caballero es don Dinero)
Put your money where your mouth is
This is an informal expression which means you give practical support to what you have just said, often in the form of money. (Spanish: predicar con el ejemplo)
My days in London
'When you are tired of London, you are tired of life'.
Samuel Johnson.
Houses of Parliament -Big Ben
The Houses of Parliament are probably one of the best known tourist sights in London and Big Ben is the most photographed clock in the world.
My days in London
London is like a history or literature lesson come to life: it's such a fascinating living place that you'll never run out of things to explore.
Tate Modern, Bankside.
The former Bankside power station was carefully restored and modernised to house Britain's national museum of modern art. An impressive building overlooking the River Thames, the Tate Modern is a landmark for all Londoners. It also boasts a wonderful restaurant and café.
Call a spade a spade
If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak frankly and directly, often about embarrassing or unpleasant subjects.
Nursery Rhymes
A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem to young children, originally in the nursery. Many cultures feature children’s songs and verses that are passed down by oral tradition from one generation to the next.
Learning nursery rhymes assists in the development of vocabulary, and several examples deal with rudimentary counting skills. It also encourages children to enjoy music.
About the origin of nursery rhymes, don’t miss this site: Nursery Rhymes – Lyrics and Origins. You can find a long list of traditional nursery rhymes with a thorough explanation (when possible) of their origin and their corresponding lyrics. Most of them reflect events in history; for instance the famous “Jack and Jill went up the Hill” takes us to France and Jack and Jill are said to be King Louis XVI – who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after).
Great talkers are little doers
Those people who talk a lot and are always teaching others usually do not do much work.
Flocabulary - Hip Hop in the Classroom
Don’t miss this amazing site created by two American students who thought that hip hop was a better option to memorize facts, vocabulary, literature terms and works. Shakespeare is Hip Hop is a wonderful innovative way of introducing his plays to students. You’ve got free samples to listen to Hip hop U.S. History, Shakespeare is Hip Hop, SAT vocabulary and have a sneak peek at the Rapper’s Handbook.
Something about the history of Flocabulary
"The idea for Flocabulary first came to founder / lyricist Blake Harrison in high school. A good student who still struggled to memorize facts for tests, he wondered why it was so easy to remember lines to his favorite rap songs, but so difficult to memorize academic information. Blake realized that if a rapper released an album that defined SAT vocab words, students would have a fun and effective way to study for the SAT.
After studying English at the
During a game of basketball one day, Blake mentioned his old high school idea of vocabulary rap to Alex. Alex gave the typical response: “that’s a great idea.” But he also added: “let’s do it.”
A month later, the duo had a demo recorded, which they sent around to various educational publishers. When Sparknotes, the world’s largest educational website, commissioned two songs, Blake and Alex realized they had created something real. The name practically invented itself: Flocabulary".
Discretion is the better part of valour
If you say discretion is the better part of valour, you mean that avoiding a dangerous or unpleasant situation is sometimes the most sensible thing to do.
Let not the pot call the kettle black
A person who has a fault should not point out the same fault in another; do not criticize another person as you may have the same weakness.
Easter Time
Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some aspects of modern celebrations, however, pre-date Christianity.
According to the Venerable Bede, Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat", or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it. Prior to that, the holiday had been called Pasch (Passover), which remains its name in most non-English languages.
It seems probable that around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe noticed that the Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.
For more about Easter's history and origins, visit Holidays on the Net
If you like cooking traditional Easter food, go to Fabulous Foods. com
According to the Venerable Bede, Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat", or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it. Prior to that, the holiday had been called Pasch (Passover), which remains its name in most non-English languages.
It seems probable that around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe noticed that the Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.
For more about Easter's history and origins, visit Holidays on the Net
If you like cooking traditional Easter food, go to Fabulous Foods. com
From the sublime to the ridiculous is only a step
In life things that are noble and magnificent are never far from things that are trivial and laughable. This saying has been attributed to both Napoleon Bonaparte and the French statesman Talleyrand.
The History of Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to those who celebrate this day on the third Sunday of June. In Spain, Father's Day coincides with Saint José's Day and it is obviously celebrated on another day. Surfing on the net, I've found this article on the history of Father's Day by Cheri Sicard.
Hope you all like it.
Hope you all like it.
While many people believe that Father's Day is a holiday invented by the fine folks at Hallmark, it's not so. The celebration of Dad's special day can most likely be credited to Mrs. John B. Dodd, of
Mrs. Dodd's father, civil war veteran William Smart, was widowed when his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child. Despite the obvious hardships, Mr. Smart proceeded to raise the newborn along with his five other children, by himself.
It wasn't until Sonora Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. The original date chosen for the holiday was June 5, Mr. Smart's birthday, however the celebration was postponed until June 19, the third Sunday in June, because there was not enough time to prepare.
At about the same time in various towns and cities across
In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day, but it never became official until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the presidential proclamation that set aside the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Garbage out, garbage in
Often abbreviated as GIGO, this is a famous computer axiom meaning that if invalid data is entered into a system, the resulting output will also be invalid. Although originally applied to computer software, the axiom holds true for all systems, including, for example, decision-making systems.
A reference to the fact that computers, unlike humans, will unquestioningly process the most nonsensical of input data and produce nonsensical output. Of course a properly written program will reject input data that is obviously erroneous but such checking is not always easy to specify and is tedious to write.
GIGO is usually said in response to users who complain that a program did not "do the right thing" when given imperfect input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data. For example, a badly written
Using Internet in the language classroom
The Internet has become a valuable study resource. Its use in language teaching is increasing day after day. Net-based lessons are motivational, a source of authentic language and retain a certain "cutting edge" feel. Piczo offers enormous teaching possibilities; it was designed to enable users to create their very own website and is arguably the most user-friendly example of its kind. Using Piczo the class can create a multimedia website, with images, text and sound, in minutes. This page can be used for a variety of tasks:
- For structured, student-generated practice activities, such as finding pictures and writing related comparative and superlative sentences.
- As a multimedia space to display class interests, for example their favourite football team.
- To exhibit the results of web-based research, country reports, favourite stars, etc.
- To display class work, such as written exercises.
- Learners can invite other classes to visit their website and leave a message.
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull story
"Tristram Shandy: A cock and bull story" is an excellent movie directed by English director Michael Winterbottom. Sterne's originality stems from his surreal, structureless, nonlinear narrative, the leaping from subject to subject, in short, "the order of the disorder". The movie is based on the premise that Tristam Shandy is an "unfilmable" story, maybe because it seems to be an "unreadable" book: if you take it piece by piece, it is an utter chaos, but once the pieces drop into place, it reveals unification and everything makes sense. Winterbottom superbly works the "movie within a movie" resource, creating a fictional "backstage" of the film with the same digressions present in the book. Steve Coogan's performance as Tristram Shandy/Steve Coogan is absolutely compelling.
More info about the movie in its official site: http://www.tristramshandymovie.com/
More info about the movie in its official site: http://www.tristramshandymovie.com/
IDEA
IDEA is the acronym for the International Dialects of English Archive. If you're keen on English language dialects, I strongly recommend to visit this site. You can find samples from native and non-native speakers of English. Plus, you can submit your own example and contribute to this project led by Professor Paul Meier from the University of Kansas.
Poetry in the EFL classroom
Poetry in my English class?! It sounds a bit challenging, isn’t it? However, it’s worth trying it out since it can provide teachers with a lot of benefits in their teaching/learning process. There are two excellent sites to visit: The Poetry Zone and Forms of Poetry for Children.
Your voice
Your voice is as distinctively individual as your fingerprints. Don't forget that it's the most important tool when teaching languages. I highly recommend The Language Teacher's Voice by Alan Maley. If you want to know more about the writer, have a look at An Interview with Alan Maley.
Christmas means "Mass of Christ"
If you are a curious person, I’m sure you’ll like this site. Did you know? answers all the questions related to Xmas.
More about Christmas
Enjoy this site full of Christmas printables for either your students or kids.
You'll have great fun!
You'll have great fun!
Christmas is coming
It’s time to start writing letters to Santa Claus. It’s a funny activity for your students at school. Go to Write to Santa Claus and find out more about it.
English as a Second Language
A thumb up for esl-lounge.com. It’s entertaining, easy to use, well-planned. In short, if you’re an ESL teacher, don’t hesitate to have a look at it and snatch ideas to use in your English class.
Ask about English
Once again I recommend the BBC website. This time the section Ask about English. You’ll find answers to common language questions sent in by learners. English language experts offer thorough explanations which can be downloaded- audio and script.
English for everybody
Highly recommendable site, English for everybody offers a lot of options either to learn or to improve your English.
If you’re planning to sit for Cambridge University Exams, have a look inside EFL exam practice.
And if you’ve got questions about the language, click on Ask the Prof or enter The Prof’s bBlog.
If you’re planning to sit for Cambridge University Exams, have a look inside EFL exam practice.
And if you’ve got questions about the language, click on Ask the Prof or enter The Prof’s bBlog.
Phrasal verbs
When studying English, phrasal verbs are a nightmare for most students. Have a look at Phrasal Verb Page. You’ll find three parts on this site: a list with phrasals in alphabetical order, another one with definitions and meanings and a random phrasal verb generator, which gives one verb from the collection with its meaning and an example sentence.
Interested in etymology?
Don’t miss this wonderful site Word Origins. Here you’ll find the origin of quite a lot of words as well as a special section with additional explanatory material for you to read. In that section, I highly recommend Loan-words. Did you know the word “yogurt” comes from Turkish? Enjoy this site.
Common Errors in English Usage
Hi everybody! I've been away for some days, but I'm back again this time bringing you a wonderful book I bought three years ago. Now it is web-based. Have a look at Common Errors in English Usage. I’m sure you’ll like it.
Songs for teaching
Don’t hesitate to use songs in your English lessons. Most textbooks include them, but you can enjoy and exploit the joy of singing and having fun.
Songs for teaching is highly recommendable since it offers everything related to the use of music for educational purposes.
Songs for teaching is highly recommendable since it offers everything related to the use of music for educational purposes.
Parents' role
Teachers and students are not the only agents in the teaching/learning process, parents play a decisive role as well. The BBC webpage offers a section called Parenting. Don’t miss it.
History for Kids
Your chance to teach your pupils something of British History exploring every topic with stories, interactive games and lots of fun.
World Wide Words
A highly recommendable site for the ones who are fascinated about vocabulary. Don’t miss Michael Quinion’s articles.
My favourite ones? Acronyms and new words.
My favourite ones? Acronyms and new words.
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
By the way, remember this? It’s the first line of a popular nursery rhyme written in memory of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot:
"Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot"
And today November 5th is still celebrated in England with bonfires and fireworks, on which effigies of Guy Fawkes are burned.If you want to know more about it, visit Guy Fawkes and the Bonfire Night.
"Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot"
And today November 5th is still celebrated in England with bonfires and fireworks, on which effigies of Guy Fawkes are burned.If you want to know more about it, visit Guy Fawkes and the Bonfire Night.
Listen to David Crystal
God, time flies! I still keep the 1971 edition of “Linguistics” by David Crystal. He has always had a great passion for linguistics and the English language. Please don’t miss the chance to listen to him on the net. There’s a section on the BBC site where you’ll find a list of words and expressions commented by him; plus, you can download a perfectly edited lesson plan with teacher’s notes and students’ worksheets with answers.
Whenever I say your name
Brenda,
You’re no longer here. I’m sure you’re travelling around the space watching us.
These lines from a song by Sting:
“Whenever I say your name, Whenever I say your name, I'm already praying, I'm already praying
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to
sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying”
You’re no longer here. I’m sure you’re travelling around the space watching us.
These lines from a song by Sting:
“Whenever I say your name, Whenever I say your name, I'm already praying, I'm already praying
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to
sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying”
Storybook for toddlers
Lil'Fingers is a lovely site for young learners. I'm sure your pupils love it.
Folk Tales
Looking for folk tales? This site could be the one for you.
Tales of wonder offers a wide selection to share with your pupils at storytime.
Tales of wonder offers a wide selection to share with your pupils at storytime.
Urban Legends
Recommended for teenage students, this Urban Legend site is full of weird, wonderful (and totally true) stories and it's very well organized.
If you're still in need of stories for Halloween, don't miss it.
If you're still in need of stories for Halloween, don't miss it.
Flashcards for free
If you need flashcards for your English lesson, I guess you already know Clipart, one of the best sites offering collections of clipart and web stuff for free.
If you're looking for art images, pictures and photographs, go to Classroom Clipart.
If you're looking for art images, pictures and photographs, go to Classroom Clipart.
Words on the move
The huge advances in communications at the end of the 20th century have produced a great quantity of words linked to new technology.
What about the word Skype? Don't miss this interesting article called VoIp breaks out, but let's hope it doesn't become a verb.
What about the word Skype? Don't miss this interesting article called VoIp breaks out, but let's hope it doesn't become a verb.
Halloween is coming!
Being a traditional holiday in America, Britain and Canada, it is now celebrated in several other countries around the world. Did you know that Halloween is the holiday when the most candy is sold?
Now that Halloween is approaching why not visit some of these webpages full of wonderful material for you to use in your English lessons?
For games, crafts, cards, colouring pages and some other fun stuff, go to.
Ben & Jerry’s and BlackDog’s Halloween Party.
Interested in H’s origin, don’t miss this page:
The History of Halloween
Trick or Treat?
Now that Halloween is approaching why not visit some of these webpages full of wonderful material for you to use in your English lessons?
For games, crafts, cards, colouring pages and some other fun stuff, go to.
Ben & Jerry’s and BlackDog’s Halloween Party.
Interested in H’s origin, don’t miss this page:
The History of Halloween
Trick or Treat?
Hot potatoes
Is it a game? Is it a cooking recipe? Not at all. Hot Potatoes is a set of six authoring tools, created by the Research and Development team at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre. They enable you to create interactive Web-based exercises of several basic types. You enter your data (texts, questions, etc.) and the programs will create the web pages for you. Plus, you can download it from the Internet free of charge.
Enjoy your "meal"!
Enjoy your "meal"!
Learning through stories
“Stories offer a whole imaginary world, created by language that children enter and enjoy, learning language as they go”. (“Teaching languages to young learners” by Lynne Cameron).
Everyone knows the charming attraction of a story, a folk tale, a fable… Children love stories (and adults too!). In your English lesson plans, never forget to include stories either for young or old learners. Make use of them as much as possible. If you’re planning to use online stories, these two sites are highly recommendable:
Story Place has a wonderful collection of stories for Primary pupils both in English and Spanish. You’ll also find activities, reading lists and parent activity sheets.
Starfall has 15 online interactive stories with sound; in this way, pronunciation and intonation are practised without any effort while children enjoy the story.
Everyone knows the charming attraction of a story, a folk tale, a fable… Children love stories (and adults too!). In your English lesson plans, never forget to include stories either for young or old learners. Make use of them as much as possible. If you’re planning to use online stories, these two sites are highly recommendable:
Story Place has a wonderful collection of stories for Primary pupils both in English and Spanish. You’ll also find activities, reading lists and parent activity sheets.
Starfall has 15 online interactive stories with sound; in this way, pronunciation and intonation are practised without any effort while children enjoy the story.
Legal Dictionary Nolo
Maybe you already know this legal glossary, but for those who don’t, take a peek inside: nolo. If you’re studying law or any other degree related to it, I think it’s a must; it contains simple English definitions of a thousand of legal terms.
A site I recommend
Visit saberingles and you'll find loads of interesting things to use in your English class.
Teaching Approaches
More on FL teaching approaches: go to onestopenglish and in the methodology section you’ll find useful articles if you’re preparing for your ECE/Oposiciones Temas 13 and 14.
Teaching YL : TPR
What is TPR? An approach, a method or a technique? According to James Asher, there is no method or formula for teaching anything; he calls TPR an approach and sometimes a tool.
Visit Total Physical Response page and you’ll find interesting material to read.
Visit Total Physical Response page and you’ll find interesting material to read.
A book I recommend
“Bases lingüísticas y metodológicas para la enseñanza de la lengua inglesa” by Eva Alcón Soler is easy to use and deals with topics that are of interest for anyone studying FL methodology.
Other books by the same author (in English) are:
Current Issues in English Language Methodology
Language Learning in The Foreign Language Classroom
Oral Skills: resources and proposals for the classroom
Other books by the same author (in English) are:
Current Issues in English Language Methodology
Language Learning in The Foreign Language Classroom
Oral Skills: resources and proposals for the classroom
About "Stage fright"
"Stage fright" or "Miedo escénico", two simple words which make you feel instantly some of the symptons you've ever experienced when the "curtain" is up. You really feel you won't be able to "survive" if you go completely blank before the audience or board - if you're sitting for your Oposiciones exams.
Never fear, be positive, be natural, relax... and most importantly, engage in both extensive and intensive practice in oral English as soon as possible. This will help you overcome your fear of speaking in front of an audience as well as improve your language level.
The more confident you are when speaking English, the better you will speak it.
Never fear, be positive, be natural, relax... and most importantly, engage in both extensive and intensive practice in oral English as soon as possible. This will help you overcome your fear of speaking in front of an audience as well as improve your language level.
The more confident you are when speaking English, the better you will speak it.
“And whispered in the sounds of silence ….”
Remember this line from Simon and Garfunkel’s hit single of the 60’s?
I’m sure you do. What about whispering (in) the sounds of English? Don’t miss these two sites: Phonetics -The Sounds of Spoken English is a superb project led by the Departments of Spanish and Portuguese, German, Speech Pathology and Academic Technologies at the University of Iowa. Some years ago, there was only the American English option, but today you can find the German and Spanish ones. Ideal for students, teachers-to-be, practising teachers.
The Sounds of Spoken Language is also a complete site providing the IPA table (English-American).
I’m sure you do. What about whispering (in) the sounds of English? Don’t miss these two sites: Phonetics -The Sounds of Spoken English is a superb project led by the Departments of Spanish and Portuguese, German, Speech Pathology and Academic Technologies at the University of Iowa. Some years ago, there was only the American English option, but today you can find the German and Spanish ones. Ideal for students, teachers-to-be, practising teachers.
The Sounds of Spoken Language is also a complete site providing the IPA table (English-American).
Do you have an IDEA?
IDEA is the acronym for the International Dialects of English Archive. If you're keen on English language dialects, I strongly recommend to visit this site. You can find samples from native and non-native speakers of English. Plus, you can submit your own example and contribute to this project led by Professor Paul Meier from the University of Kansas.
About Patricia Baldonedo
Patricia Baldonedo holds an undergraduate degree from Uned (Universidad Nacional a Distancia) Spain in English philology and a Bachelor's Degree in Education - majoring in Primary School Education.
She has taught English to speakers of other languages and trained teachers for over 30 years. Her experience ranges from teaching children, teenagers and adults. She is a Cambridge University and Trinity College exam coach. She has created three workshops: Kids Corners, Teen Corners and Drama. This blog has received 15,000 visits since its creation
She has taught English to speakers of other languages and trained teachers for over 30 years. Her experience ranges from teaching children, teenagers and adults. She is a Cambridge University and Trinity College exam coach. She has created three workshops: Kids Corners, Teen Corners and Drama. This blog has received 15,000 visits since its creation
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