Exit Slips

Hey hey!

It has been a long time -at least for me- since the last time I posted. In the meantime, some things have changed in my life. And the biggest one is: I am no longer a teacher (sad face). Now I work as an educational consultant for a publishing company, which means I get to work with teachers, rather than the students -whom I miss a lot. That's a whole new page for me and I am totally excited!

With that said, I can move on today's topic: Exit Slips!

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I love the idea to assess students, but I am not a big fan of exams. So, exit slips come in handy. You can use them either at the end of each lesson, or at the end of each week - or whenever! These are easy and loved by students. The idea is that students write their opinions about the lesson/topic/subject they have been doing, and the teacher can assess what or how much they have learnt. Not only can the teachers, but also the students reflect upon themselves. These also help students think critically. Let’s look at some ideas on how to adapt them in classroom below.

Students can:

•  write what they knew already before the lesson
• write 3 things that are new to them after the lesson.
• imagine one of their classmates couldn't attend this week's lessons and write to that friend what s/he should know for the next one.
• write 3 questions about the topic/lesson,
• rate the lesson out of 10 according to their level of understanding.
• draw an emoji that best describes their feeling about the week/lesson/topic.
• tweet about it.
• prepare their own test about it.
• write about what they would do differently in 1 sentence.
• write the reason why s/he has had that particular topic that day/week.
• write a note/short letter to the future student of that class warning them about what they will see in the lesson

To adapt them in the classroom, you may have a wall where they can stick the post-it notes or you can prepare a hand out in which they can hand in to you. The best part of it is that it is done anonymously. In this way, every student can feel comfortable. With younger kids, this can be turned into a game at the end if the lesson. The teacher can divide the class into 3 corners where each one has a name : GOT IT / ALMOST GOT IT / NEED SUPPORT, so that they can run to the corner according to how they feel about the lesson.

You can see more ideas in this pinterest link if you are interested.

Hope you’ll enjoy yourselves! =) 

WHAT'S STUCK WITH YOU?

During the whole school year, some things got stuck with us more. I was curious what my kids will take with them when they leave, so I decided to prepare this =)

It happened to be a fun activity as they got to discuss their year and remembered the days of yore. First we talked about the passing year, then they went on writing and coloring. 

It was a fun activity for me, too since there were a lot of stories that I hadn't heard. 

You can download the template from here. 

Hope you'll enjoy ! 

POEMS TO SPICE UP THE END OF YEAR

I love poems! 

Especially if it's the end of the school year, 

and everybody is tired, 

and nobody wants to do a thing. 

I love poems!

Because who doesn't?

To read it out loud

To act it out

Is to me everything.

So, here I am talking about poems and have already written a poem =) Obviously, today I'm going to share some good poem to be read inside the classroom.

1. How to Eat A Poem: This one is a highly short one. You can discuss what this is about, what it is and how they feel after reading. (http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/poetry/eatpoem.html) 

2. Apple Picking: I studied American Literature at university and Robert Frost was one of my favourite poets. This ne comes from him. You can read and mime! http://storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/applepicking.html

3. Hope: Of course Emily Dickinson is another favourite of mine.  

4. What is Pink? : Nice one to question the universe.  

5. Whole Duty of Children: If you want to talk about behaviours and duties, this poem might be a good start.  

6. Two Little Kittens: If you want to do some grammar revision and maybe some act out, this one is great!  

7. There was A Naughty Boy: This one comes from John Keats to all the naughty children out there =) 

8. The Rainbow: Christina Rosetti shared her ideas on a rainbow. Would you like to share them with your kids? 

9. Humpty Dumpty's Song: Of course one cannot forget Lewis Caroll. There is a plenty of poems, but I chose this one. 

10.  Catch A little Rhyme:  one again comes from Eve Merriam. I really love it as it is wonderful to recite and act out. 

Hope you'll enjoy reading!

Published Again =)

I got published again! I am proudly presenting my other article that was published in a magazine. This one is in Turkish, but no worries. You can read it from One of my previous blogs .

This one was published in the school magazine –the school that I work in. The counselling service department has put a lot of work in it.

It happens to be one of the firsts in my life in that it is the first Turkish article that I have written.

You can read mine and the others in here.  

Hope you’ll enjoy.

A Simple Past Tense Activity

It's been a while since I shared something I prepared for my kids. Here is an idea to work on Simple Present Tense and Simple Past Tense that I have written. 

I started the worksheet with a story of a boy named Tom. But to make it a little bit more interesting, I told that it was actually written by one of Tom's friends when they were 12. The year was 2004. And I asked them to underline the verbs - that's where they sometimes have problems: to identify the verb! 

Then, I continued with the same story but I erased the verbs. It's 2016 now, so how was Tom's life when he was 12? The kids completed the blanks using Simple Past Tense of the verbs in the original story. 

I ended the handout by asking the kids a question: How old is Tom now? What do you think he does for a living? And that's a speaking activity +.+ 

You can download the handout here =)

Enjoy !

Online Graphic Designers

Teachers are so busy-as always- I know. And we need graphic designs for almost everything. Although I love working on Microsof Word, saving time sounds great! That's why I've been searching for some online tools for graphic design. There are many tools online, but these two look better, in my opinion.

-eduplace.com: This one is a tool that has a lot of different charts, story maps and clusters.

-Studentshandouts.com: This one is nearly the same as the former one, but with a different outlook. Moreover, this website does not only contain charts and story maps, but also there is every kind of worksheet that a teacher may make use of.

These are all free and photocopiable. Even though you do not want to use any of them, you might use them as nice ideas.

I am Poem- Freeology

Who doesn't like reading a good poem? How about writing one of yours?

With this website, your kids can create their own poems about themselves. It’s way too simple, but also very interesting. I got really excited while I was tyring to write a poem about myself. This can be a good exercise fort he first lesson of the year, or –just like I will do- you can spice up your homework or any lesson you want with this writing. Plus, you don’t need the website!  You can only use the idea!

Enjoy!

 

        google images

HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY

Hey hey hey!

I am more than happy to announce that it has been a year since I published my first blog! 

To celebrate the first anniversary I have a surprise for you =) Get ready to get a little silly!

If you are interested in making collages and  funny posters, you will like Fotojet.

Fotojet is a great tool for classroom projects or even personal ones ^.^

You can make collages from different pictures either by uploading your own or using the pictures that already exist in the website. There is a great number of templates with which you can even create your own magazine cover.

These are the ones I made to entertain myself. Hope you'll enjoy yourselves, too ^.^

Looking For Fun Online Tools? Come In!

Every teacher and parent know that kids love their I-Pads and computers. I know some kids who do not go to bed because of playing games constantly. So, here are some tools for our kids (and us) to have fun and learn at the same time. These can also be used inside the classroom.

Sesame Street: Who doesn’t like Sesame Street characters?  You can find videos, games and… wait for it….  an art maker!

PBS kids: This tool allows parents to take a part, as well. Not only can your kids play games according to their level, but also   they can write stories. Plus, they can attend the story telling competition. It has an app, as well, so than your kids can use it anywhere they go.

Funbrain: This is a tool for both learning English and Maths. How cool is that! It has different sections including reading, games, maths and playground. You can find some grammar games for all levels. Last but not least Wimpy Kid is here, too. I’m sure your kids like him very much. My 5^th graders adore him! So, you can study how to write a journal with this.

Funbrainjr: This is for younger kids. This tool has not only games where you can get stickers, but also stories to read. And hey teachers! Surprise Surprise! It has a tool for printables.

Knowledge Kids: This tool helps you and your kids have fun while playing games online. It also includes fun videos.

Nickjr: In this one there are some amazing games and videos though some videos are unable to be watched in my country (I know!)

Enjoy!

Is a Banana only a Banana?

 If you think music can only be performed with musical instruments, you are definitely wrong. Anything can be a part of music and the two videos that I am about to share are the proof of it. 

Most ELT classrooms focus more on lyrics, rather than the music itself. In my classroom I benefit from lyrics of Pop and Rock music, as well. However, sometimes it is good to display different aspects of "things" to boost creativity and have a memorable lesson.

As an ELT teacher working with kids, my aim is to have them think critically - think outside the box ;)  To shock them is a way -and it's my favourite way!

I began one of my lessons with talking about trees: where we see them, what kind of trees we know and what kind of sound they make and if we like it. Who doesn't like the sound of a tree? We even pretended that we are a bunch of trees and move and sound like one. What kind of music is this?

And then I asked: Have you ever heard that trees can make “real” music? Then I showed them this video.

After listening to the song, we discussed our ideas about it. While some couldn’t believe what they heard, some wanted to try it with different objects such as leaves, buildings.

The other video to help our kids to see things not as they are is this. Anything can be an instrument if you can see things beyond themselves. With this you can do some creative writing.

·        What did the carrot do when it became an instrument for an orchestra?

·        If you were a fruit / vegetable how would you feel?  

·         Who would be the chef? Why?

                                                                                          Google images

Safe Search Engine

Hey there !

If you are concerned about your kids' internet safety, here you are! Kiddle is a nice tool when it comes to search engine for kids.

Not only is it safe and childfriendly (definitely), but also it is visually enjoyable. It is not much different from Google search engine with its news and videos sections. 

If you try to look for something inappropriate, it warns you and does not display anything at all. The first word that I chose to search was “balls” without any intentions. Yet this came up to my face =)

Then I looked for “ball” only, and this came up. You will find loads of pictures, news and videos in the related sections.

Have fun  ^.^

Tips for More Entertaining Homework

We all know that most of the time homework is found really boring by our kids especially when they have loads of it. Even teachers get bored while preparing it. So, I came up with a few ideas on how to improve our homework to lure our kids ^.^

-Using qr code : Kids love their smart phones and never want to leave it. So, they can use their phones while they are on task. You can put I have already mentioned how to use QR Codes in homework. You can either use it if you want them to watch a video or listen to a song.  Here you can find more information.

- Putting students' own work: Wouldn't you feel surprised if you wrote a paragraph and got published? I bet you would! That's how kids feel, as well. You can use their texts as a part of homework with related questions. I do it and they love it. 

-Songs: Of course you can use songs in many ways- especially in teaching English. But also you can use songs just for fun. Putting a song and asking for the genre, for instance, is fun! This one is my favourite these days and you can talk / write about what A Cappella means.

- Tongue Twisters or Riddles: You can always finish the worksheet with a funny riddle or tongue twister. You can even put it in a QR Code so the kids can get excited. My kids always wonder what Ms Aysu will ask them the next week =)

-Using the Names of the Students: That's a small step for us, but not for them. Using their names helps students integrate more. You can turn it into a game and use it as an award. If they see their names on the worksheet, they know that they have deserved it

-Using Your Own Picture As A Story Starter: I found out that my kids love to hear stories about my own life. Though I don't talk about everything that is going on in my life, I sometimes share stories from my childhood when they get bored. This made me think using my own pictures in worksheets and ask them to write a story.

You can either leave them alone while writing or give them some guiding questions such as: 

*Where are they?                                   *Who is Ms Aysu's friend?    

*Why is Ms Aysu happy while her friend is not?

              *What happened?               *What didn't happen?   

       
      Here is an example from one of my students:

-Using Funny but Creative Pictures That Are All Over the Internet: Internet is a great source for everything. It just depends on how you use it. Here are some examples to entertain the kids while boosting their creativity:

In the first one can you spot the panda?

With these, homework turns into something that kids become curious about. They ask me from Monday what they will see in the homework sheets. To be honest, they would still be happy having a weekend without any homework, but still they look forward to it. 

Let the Wheel Decide

In some classes there are some kids who want to give all the answers by him/herself. If you don't pick him/her, he/she feels upset (or sometimes even angry). One of my collegues had this problem this week so it got me thinking.

I came up with this website where you can write the names of the kids and spin it (by clicking) and let the wheel decide. In this way, everybody is in destiny's hands =)

You might not be that kind of a teacher that picks students up one by one thinking that it might offend the introverts, but you can use it while grouping the kids. 

You can write up to 100 names, change the colours of the layout or letters.

 Hope you'll enjoy yourselves…