Using Authentic Materials To Teach About Conflict - Συνέντευξη στη Σχολή Χιλλ!

• How many times have you had project ideas that sounded great in your head, but when you tried to put them into practice they were impossible to complete? As a relatively new teacher it happens to me quite a lot. The project that follows was made possible through careful planning and a series of fortunate events. The people that I worked with really made the difference. For once everything fell into place in Teacher Universe. 

1. An idea is born

It all begun while I was thinking about the originality of the materials we teach in ELT. I mean that in theory the materials should be as realistic and authentic as possible, but this is not always feasible. There are a number of constraints when it comes to that, mainly the accessibility, level of difficulty and modification of the material in order to be suitable for young children. This year one of the writing tasks our students had to submit was an interview. Throughout the years we ask our students to interview someone they know, a neighbour with an exciting profession or someone they love or admire very much. There is no harm in that, but why not give our children the opportunity to meet people with an exciting story to tell and let them find out on their own about it?  Why teach when you can show? What is more authentic than that? So after discussing it with my colleagues, we decided it would be a great idea to invite someone to school to talk to the children about their unique experience.

2. Topic 

• The next issue I faced was the topic of the discussion, which would be directly related to the person we would invite. Though I know many people that think outside the box and have extraordinary tales to tell, not all people have the ability to convey that to the children, especially if the topic is sensitive. The topic I had in mind was conflict in societies both in national and international levels, more specifically war situations and their effect on children.  Our country is going through a difficult phase right now. We need to support our children through this, highlight the importance of tolerance, solidarity to the ones in need and speaking out for the ones that can't speak for themselves. That narrowed down the list of interviewees greatly. Then it came to me. There was one person I knew that could be just right. His name is Stavros Xatzopoulos and he is the lead singer of the Greek band  Deus ex Machina. They have given numerous concerts for charity and participated in anti-war campaigns and anti-racist festivals both in Greece as well as abroad. During the war in former Yugoslavia, and while I was too young to even vote, they toured Serbia in a series of charity concerts and visited Skopje. Maybe he could help. So I threw the idea his way and he willingly agreed, which is something I thank him for. 

3. Preparation

• Believe it or not the next step of the project was the difficult one. Informing the children about one of the worst wars our "neighbourhood" has seen, without taking sides, giving out the facts without being too gory, was the most difficult part for me. Especially with young children a picture speaks a thousand words, so made them a PowerPoint video summing up the most important facts about that war. I made the video for my classroom use only, the thought of this blog wasn't born yet, so I used photos from the internet, unfortunately without keeping a link record. The video that follows was NOT made for commercial use but for educational purposes solely. However, if you find photos that belong to you and don't want me to include them please contact me and I will gladly take them down. What is more I will be glad to add links and citation if only I had them.

• After watching the video the children in groups wrote down the questions we would ask Stavros. I used this activity to revise Simple Past and Present Perfect, which where what we had been working on during the past month. This is the list of questions they came up with.

                       

4. Implementation

• The interview took place one Thursday morning in our school and we all had a lot of fun. The children were intrigued and engaged in the conversation. Our guest answered our questions with sensitivity and simplicity.

5. Follow up

• The project did not end here. The following week the children had to produce a short article based on the interview. We made  thank you cards to our guest and anti - war posters. In the months that followed some children produced poems that were directly related to the conversation we had with Stavros.The best thing is that they were not even asked to do so. This shows that the effect of the conversation was profound and long lasting.

• I had a lot of fun designing and implementing this project. I would repeat it in a heartbeat. It is not always easy to open up your classroom to the outside world. However, we have to teach in relation to the real world, not an ideal airtight bubble that exposes our children to filtered stimuli. Our children are smart, can pass judgement and can tell between people that are original and true and people that are self-absorbed and fake. So choose your people carefully, bring them in and let your students do the rest. It is totally worth it. 

   

Hill students write a thank you card to our guest!
Οι μαθητές της Σχολής Χιλλ
ευχαριστούν τον καλεσμένο μας!

Έκθεση μαθητή της έκτης δημοτικού της
σχολής Χιλλ, με θέμα τη συνέντευξη. 

Έκθεση μαθήτριας της Σχολής Χιλλ με θέμα
τη συνέντευξη.  

Part of the "thank you" booklet
 we made for our guest!
Μέρος του ευχαριστήριου βιβλίου
που έφτιαξαν οι μαθητές της έκτης
δημοτικού της Σχολής Χιλλ.  

Αντιπολεμικό ποίημα
μαθήτριας της Σχολής Χιλλ.

Αντιπολεμικό ποίημα, μαθητής της
 6ης δημοτικού της Σχολής Χιλλ.
Antiwar poem by Hill School
 6th Grade student. 

Summer Reading

School is out for summer. When I was a child that meant two things; that I could spend all the time I wanted swimming and sunbathing, and that I could read all the books I wanted. Every June, on my birthday - which by the way was the last day of lessons for Greek schools-, my mother would take my brother and I  book-shopping in my favourite bookshop, Kedros. We could get as many as we could read. So every summer, I would make my reading list and I read my way through it like a hungry man on a desert island. It is summertime again and apart from the books I am taking with me on my "desert island", the island of Zakynthos, I thought of making a small reading list for our young ones. 

1. Enid Blyton: The Famous Five (series)

Photo via Wikipedia. 
Click here
for more information.

There is nothing like a good mystery to exercise the brain.  The Famous Five is a series of mystery books for children written by Enid Blyton in 1942. One might say that something written so long ago cannot appeal to today's children, but I think that in this particular case one would be wrong. The Famous Five travel through time. You don't have to be a grown up to solve mysteries. These children are clever, autonomous, trusted by their parents due to their sensibility and common sense. They are a team and they work like one. Above all they help people through their mystery solving and they have fun while they are at it. There are many reprints that you can buy online, in a good price, too.

2. Gertrude Chandler Warner: The Boxcar Children. 

 A mystery series for children, written by G.C. Warner, an author and primary school teacher. The amazing adventures of four orphan siblings that manage to take life into their own hands and take care of each other, while living in a boxcar. 

3. Nancy Drew series

Nancy Drew is a young sleuth that solves mysteries like no other. She is brave and confident and never gives up. There are many titles in this series, written by a group of writers under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene. I simply love them. The books were made into a series in seventies I believe, but these days they even made a Nancy Drew film. There are also some really good video games full of puzzles, but I wouldn't want to play video games when I could read a good book. 

4. Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Photo via Wikipedia.
Click here for
 more information. 

Roald Dahl has always been one of my favourite authors. He has written so many amazing books I can't even begin to name them. However, the most well known of them is Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Roald Dahl has an exceptional sense of humour, which some might even find gruesome sometimes. I think his books are brilliant and the best company for the summer holidays. So start the summer by reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory, then visit your nearest bookstore to get the sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator which is equally well written and hilarious. 

Photo via Wikipedia. 
Click here 
for more information. 

For a taste of Roald Dahl's world, visit his website. It is fun even for us adults. There is also another great page about Roald Dahl, through which children can actually look through his things, while exploring his writing hut. 



5. Roald Dahl: Matilda
Another brilliant book written by Roald Dahl. 

Fountain Pens for Students

The school year is now officially over. Before we start planning next year, we need to reflect and decide what went well and what didn't work, what needs to be changed and which aspects of our work are keepers. One of the things I am definitely going to keep, is the use of fountain pens. I bought my first pen at the age of eight, it was a cheap, plastic Pelican, and I have been using them ever since. Through the years I have gathered a small collection of fountain pens and different inks and I use them all the time in class. I was really amazed when I realised my students were interested in using my pens, so I started bringing them in and handing them out in the beginning of our lesson. The children turned out to be avid calligraphers and I must admit I am really happy for their patience and perseverance. 

When I was a child it was difficult to find good, cheap, ergonomic fountain pens that we could use in class. Most teachers didn't want us to use fountain pens, because they were messy and made us slower in our writing, or maybe because it reminded them of their own school years full of ink stains and blue fingertips. However, things have changed immensely. Many teachers nowadays ask their first grade students to learn how to write using fountain pens. You cannot write using a fountain pen, unless you hold it correctly. What is more, fountain pens are very user friendly. They allow steady ink flow, they adjust to the individual user's handwriting and cater for different angles between the paper and the nib. If your child learns to use a fountain pen correctly, with time they will become quicker in their writing too, as the pen slides on paper. Finally, fountain pens are not as expensive as one would think, especially if you use bottled ink, most of my pens cost less than 10 euro. 

If you want your children to start using a fountain pen, consider one of the following for their first one. 

1. Pelikano and Pelikano Junior 

These are great for total beginners. They are chunky enough for small hands to hold firmly, but also light. All models have a grip, some even have rubber grips. I would suggest you start with a medium tip, because fine tips dry quickly, require that the writer is quick, and have less contact with the paper. If you are lucky, (in Greece they are not easy to find),  you will also find the hooded nib model, that prevents children from holding the pen really low near the tip, thus getting inky fingertips. The best part is that there is also a model for left handed children. 

2. Inoxcrom

I bought my first Inoxcrom when I was a student and I have fallen in love ever since. The good thing is they are light, colourful, relatively cheap - (around 7 euro) and above all easy to find in shops in Athens. They also write smoothly and evenly. However, they don't have a grip, which might be a problem with very young students. They don't offer any models for left handed children as far as I know. 

3. Lamy Safari and Lamy ABC

Throughout the years I have noticed that this pen suits best my sixth graders. It is ideal for children with somewhat round and large handwriting style. It helps them write smoothly and evenly, it has an even ink flow, which prevents stains, it is light and it comes in a variety of bold colours. It offers an ergonomic grip, and you can easily find an ink pump for them. It is my favourite everyday fountain pen. 

4. Faber Castell for left handed children.

Left handed people are said to have excellent handwriting. Through the years I have realised it is true. However they might have trouble finding a fountain pen that works for them. Faber Castell's model claims to address that problem. It comes in bright colours, it is light and has an ergonomic grip that is way too comfortable. I simply love the way it slides on paper. It also has a cap that can be personalised. 

5. Disposable Fountain Pens

You might want to start by buying your child a cheap disposable fountain pen. In that way the child will have the opportunity to try using a fountain pen without spending too much money. There are many disposable pens in the market and they come in various colours. However, you might want to keep in mind that they don't offer the same quality experience as the cheapest of refillable fountain pens. They release too much ink, causing uneven flow and stains. 

Maintenance

Now that school is over for the summer, I will not be using all of my pens so much. It is very important that you clean your pens when you are not using them, especially if you live in a very hot place, like I do. It is a very simple process. To begin with, remove the empty cartridge from the nib, then emerge it in cool water to soak. You might want to change water if it gets too inky. Let it soak for a while, then take the nib and place it, facing downwards, under running water until the water that comes out of the nib is colourless. The last step is to let the pens dry completely. It is a very important step, as some of the tips are not stainless and might rust with time. Take some paper towels and place in the bottom of a relatively narrow glass. Place the nib standing on its tip within the glass and let it be for about an hour. The paper will absorb the excess water that is trapped inside the nib and will allow it to dry. 

Place the nibs in a glass.

Fill the glass with tap water. 

Change the water until it turns out almost without any ink.
Then run them under the tap until the water runs clean.

After running them under the tap place
 them on kitchen paper.

Place some kitchen paper on the bottom
of the glass, then let it absorb the
water that remains inside the nibs. 

End Of Year Activities: Teacher Yearbook

It is a matter of days now, for the school year to end. The goodbye gifts are almost ready, and so am I. The yearbooks are finished, the CDs copied, notebooks and textbooks are sent home along with a goodbye card signed by everyone in our class. But not only students are entitled to have something to remember the year by. Teachers should have keep shakes, too. In order to boost my already frail memory, I have made myself a yearbook. OK, I might remember everything and every student with clarity now, but this is not going to be the case in 20 years time. This is where my yearbook comes in. It is a simple thick notebook, which I ask my students to sign. I also ask them to draw me a little goodbye card. In the first page of each year, I write all the classes I taught and the students' names. Then I dedicate a few pages to each class. I am particularly happy with the summer wishes I got this year. 

Goodbye CD containing a year's
work by Hill School students.
Αποχαιρετιστήριο project από την
 έκτη τάξη της Σχολής Χιλλ.  

If you haven't got a yearbook yet, I strongly recommend you start one. Treat yourself to something that will remind you how good it feels to be a teacher. When I have a bad day at work, you know one of these days that you feel you are doing everything wrong and that nothing works,I open my yearbook and get strength from it. Here are a few of this year's pages.