Book Club: Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!

Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! is one of my favourite books for children, since it addresses many behaviour issues from demanding attitude to anger tantrums. It is the first of many in the series of pigeon adventures. It is funny and witty and perfect for beginner readers. So consider getting one of the Pigeon books for Christmas these holidays, they ensure a good laugh. 

photo via wikipedia 

While you are at it,  click on the book photo to visit the official site and play the games you can find there online. 

Book Club: Books to read over the holidays: 2nd and 3rd Grade Reading List!

Learning to read is a difficult task. When parents ask me what they can do to help their child start reading with fluency, I can only reply with one answer. Read to them, read with them, let them read on their own. In other words, do what you did when your child was learning to read in their mother tongue. Pick a book they would be interested in. Pick a book appropriate to their reading level, that won’t be that difficult that will turn the reading process into a hateful experience.

There are thousands of books out there that can help your child read faster and better.  In this post I list some of the books that I would buy for my child if they were beginner readers.  

·       2^nd grade

During our first semester in 2^nd grade, we learnt the alphabet and ventured into the difficult task of blending sounds to read our first words. Here are a few books that will help them practice reading over the Christmas break.

Alphabet and word books:

1. Lift the Flap Word Book by Felicity Brooks

A great book to help your child make that precious word to picture connection. The drawings are very beautiful and it is made out of sturdy material for reading over and over again. Click on the photo for video link.

Digraphs: th Printable Activity Trace and Play Cards

This is the tracing version of the set of words I posted earlier. Print and enjoy. You might want to print the rest of the activity pages.  For the rest of the pages and instructions on how to use them click here.

Teaching Digraphs: th voiced and voiceless Printable Activity

When it comes to phonics, digraphs are one of the most difficult things to teach. It takes alot of practice for a child to learn to identify them, then actually be able to understand the word meaning and finally read them. As teachers we sometimes forget the natural process that is required for our students to produce oral speech. We believe that since we taught something, it must immediately show in our students' output. As most of us know, this is not the case. It takes time and effort for new skills to be internalised to that point, that they can be used by our students.

More specifically, we tend to forget that practice does make perfect and that practice shouldn't necessarily mean controlled writing and reading activities. After discussing this with one of my students' parent, I decided to make a th digraph game to help my students grasp these difficult sounds. It also makes a great Sunday morning game that one can quickly make to play with one's child.  

Dolch Words Printable Memory Game Group 1b

This is the second group of the first 100 dolch words. Just print two sets of each page and colour them in with your child. Practice reading the words with them.

Play memory.

Play Bang!

Ask them to line them up in alphabetical order.

Give them a newspaper or book and ask them to find the dolch words in the text.

Make a word wall.

Ask them to use them in a sentence. (more advanced)

Dolch Words, Printable Memory Game Group 1a

Sight words, Fry words, high frequency words, dolch words. Call them what you might, sight words are very important for young learners when learning to read. According to linguists they enhance reading skills and fluency and give learners the confidence they need in the target language. The fact that they constitute up to 75% of any written text for children is indicative of their importance. For instance you will be surprised to hear that the ten most frequent words in English are the following:

1. the 

2. be 

3. to

4. of

5. and

6. a

7. in

8. that

9. have

10. I 

Printable Weekly Timetables

Being organised is a challenge both for children and adults. Here is something that might help! 

Η δραστηριότητα της Κυριακής!

How to teach reading in a second language.

Parents often ask me what they can do to help their child become more proficient in the second language. My answer has always been the same; Read to your child, buy books with your child, encourage your child to read alone. Read, read, read and then read some more.  Reading has always been the most neglected skill in the ELT classroom, probably because of its complexity to teach. We tend to underestimate the power of free, voluntary reading, because its benefits are not instantly evident in our conscious learning classroom environments.

At this point we must make a distinction between acquisition and learning. Acquisition refers to the subconscious comprehension of a linguistic system, which is profound and leads to fluency and accuracy in grammatical forms. Conscious learning refers to the explicitly taught rules of a language. In his Comprehension Hypothesis Krashen maintains that L2 (Second Language) acquisition takes place in only one way: when we decipher the message, when we understand what is said or read. In other words we don’t acquire language when we produce it, but when we understand it (1).

Organise your child! DIY Stand and Printable Weekly Schedule Cards In Greek and English.

Teaching children how to be organised is always a challenge.  Through the years I came to realise that things that come natural to us can be frustrating for children. Like packing their own school bags for instance. 

This DIY stand  guides them step by step, so that they pack the correct books for the correct day every single time. It is easy to make, cheap and above all your children will love it. 

Materials

1. two pieces of cardboard
2. washi tape 
3. markers
4. printout of the days schedule (see bellow)

Instructions

1. Mark the cardboard to make the pocket and the base. 

2. Put it together with washi tape.

3. Print the cards, cut them and fill them in with your child. Go through their schedule and write down what they have to pack for every single day. (You can make your own handwritten cards if you want something more personal.)

GREEK_1

GREEK_2

ENGLISH_1

ENGLISH_2

Η δραστηριότητα της Κυριακής.

Φτιάξτε αυτό το τρισδιάστατο εβδομαδιαίο πρόγραμμα με τα παιδιά σας για να τα βοηθήσετε να οργανώσουν το διάβασμά τους και να μάθουν να φτιάχνουν την τσάντα τους μόνα τους.  

Αρχικά ίσως να χρειαστεί να το χρησιμοποιείτε μαζί τους, μέχρι να βεβαιωθείτε ότι έχουν καταλάβει τι πρέπει να κάνουν.

Shel Silverstein's Homework Machine in the EFL Classroom!

Who wouldn't want a Homework Machine? Shel Silverstein's poem depicts the frustration all of us have felt at least once in their lives. What if you could actually build one and use it at home with your child or even better in class with your students?

The endeavour is grand but the solution is simple. All you need is a shoe box - or a simple card box-, a cutter and a lot of imagination. I made this Homework Robot to use with my students in class within an hour and believe me Serious Grammaticus, as his name is, became an instant hit among all ages. 

This is how you can make one of your own. 

Materials:

1. card box (a shoe box is the easiest way)
2. cutter 
3. glue
4. markers
5. blank cards 
6. thin cardboard 

Instructions:

1. Cut two holes on the front of the box, one on the top (input hole) and on the bottom (output). Make them large enough for the blank cards to fit.  

2. On the inside of the box, make a cardboard pathway connecting the input hole to the output hole. Make the short one first then the longer one. Glue them in place. 

3. Decorate the box whichever way you like. I made mine into a robot, Serious Grammaticus!

4. Prepare your cards. One the front side of the card write the questions. On the back side write the answers. The cards will instantly flip when you drop them into the INPUT hole and come out with the answer face up!

Uses:

You can use the Homework Machine in many different ways. 

1. Math
addition cards
tables
subtraction
multiplication
division

2. Language arts
parts of speech recognition
plurals
persons (my brother and I= we, Helen=she,etc.)
irregular verbs
spelling: Correct your teacher, error identification
vocabulary translation 
dolch words

Do spend the time making the Homework Machine with your child, I assure you you are going to have a blast. If you do find the time please send me a picture, I would love to see what you came up with!

Η Δραστηριότητα της Κυριακής 

Ο Serious Grammaticus, το ρομπότ που μας βοηθάει να μαθαίνουμε παίζοντας, είναι μια εύκολη κατασκευή που μπορείτε να φτιάξετε με το παιδί σας στο σπίτι. Στην τάξη μπορείτε να τον χρησιμοποιήσετε με πολλούς και διάφορους τρόπους, για να διδάξετε από μαθηματικά, γλώσσα (μητρική ή ξένη), ακόμα και ιστορία. Το πιο σημαντικό είναι να δείξετε στα παιδιά σας ότι η φαντασία μπορεί να μεταμορφώσει ακόμα και το πιο βαρετό γραμματικό φαινόμενο σε παιχνίδι. 

DIY Literacy and Numeracy Games Tutorial

Alphabet Games: Easy DIY Games to Make and Play with your child!

Another school year has started and once again I found myself in need for some new literacy and numeracy manipulatives. I prefer making them myself instead of buying them for a number of reasons. To begin with, if I make them myself they are exactly what I want and what my students need. The next factor is affordability. Simple and cheap materials that can be replaced easily are the best and can be found in almost every household. Finally, I love crafting and the children like the fact that someone spent hours and hours making something for them. 

Above all children love to make things and use them to learn. They also love spending creative time with us. So find some time to play and create something with your child while helping them to learn and grow. 

Today I made two very simple game sets, one for teaching the alphabet (lower and upper case) and one for numbers 1-10. I used my Sizzix machine but if you don't have one, just use a circle punch or scissors. 

1. Alphabet Match

Materials:

• cardboard
• watercolours 
• permanent marker
• small box

Process:

1. Cut circles out of the cardboard. I cut 26 for the lower case letters and 26 for the upper case.

2. Using your permanent marker write down the letters of the alphabet on the circles.

3. Turn the circles the other way round and colour some of them red, some blue, some green and some yellow. 

4. Decorate your box to make it more appealing. I made mine  using a template I found online and decorated it with washi tape. 

Playing Instructions:

1. Ask your children to sort the circles into two piles, one for lower and one for upper case letters.

2. Ask them to order the letters from a to z or backwards. 

3. Ask them to match the upper case to the lower case letters. 

4. Ask them to pick a letter at random then find an object in the room that begins with it, or draw an item that begins with it. 

5. Ask the children to turn them colour face up and play memory. 

6. Ask the children to turn them colour face up and count the blue ones. Repeat for the rest of the colours. 

7. Use the circles for sequencing. 

2. Number Tower

Materials

• ten toilet roll tubes
• glue
• watercolours or decorative paper
• scissors
• permanent marker
• adhesive labels (optional)
• cardboard tags (many)
• nine cardboard circles (larger than the tube)

Process:

1. Paint or cover the toilet roll tubes with decorative paper.

2. Write the numbers 1-10 onto the adhesive labels and stick them on the tubes. 

3. Write the numbers on the tags, or just use dots to represent them. I also pierced holes onto some of them for a Montessori touch! 

Playing instructions:

1. The children line up the tubes from one to ten.

2. They tower up the tubes using the cardboard disks in between each tube for stability. 

3. Sorting Game: The children pick a cardboard tag, count the dots or read the number and place it into the correct tube. 

I Can Do It Class Project, based on E.Carle's From Head To Toe. Εργασία των μαθητών της Γ' Δημοτικού της Σχολής Χιλλ

Just a thought before I start...
It has been a long time since the last time I posted something and I am afraid that was a very conscious decision. The Internet is a world of freedom and information, in which the possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, the possibility that someone may use your photos and text without permission in their own site or blog is equally possible. I was unpleasantly surprised when I found some of my work on other blogs, without a reference to my blog, so I decided to stop posting until I had shorted that out. I am still trying to find ways to secure my work, I am still learning you see, so if anyone has any advise or thoughts on this please let me know. 

I Can Do It Class Project

Last month with third grade we learnt the verb "can". I was looking for consolidation activities when one of my colleagues, Zoe, suggested I use Eric Carle's From Head To Toe. The lesson plan I made was based on the PPP, Presentation, Practice, Production model. 

Presentation 
Firstly, we read it in class and then we had our own circle time asking each other questions. I have recorded that session and is going to be used in the students' Goodbye Interactive CD. 

Practice 
Then we watched the youtube video based on the book and we learnt the song. There is no need to tell you how much children love action songs! We all had so much fun dancing around to it in class. The video below is from youtube. 

Production 

The lesson couldn't be complete without some production activity, so I thought of writing our own books. We named them I Can Do it! Each student wrote five questions and answered them according to whether they could do that action or not. Finally we illustrated or books. I made a flipbook out of their scanned work, which you can see bellow. 

I can do it! by third grade students.