The Interactive Classroom

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Using Music in the Classroom

Music and learning language are related. Both are human communication through sound. Music in the classroom creates an enjoyable and effective means for language learning.
Teaching Vocabulary With Songs - Alphabet - Clothes - Months - Movie Trailers

Using Videos in your Classroom

Using videos in your classroom offer authentic examples of everyday English used by everyday people. Students can quickly improve their vocabulary, pronunciation, and comprehension through mimicry
Teaching Grammar With Videos - What Can You Do? - Where is It? - Schoolhouse Rock (ITunes)

Classroom Activities

Why use activities?

Once you have prepared the main components of a lesson (making sure its learning-rich, varied and interesting) you may still need to add some extra ingredient to make it a smooth, integrated lesson.
A quick warm-up for the beginning to get your students into the right mood for learning. an idea for a brief vocabulary review before starting a new text. a light filler to provide relief after a period of intense effort and concentration. a brief orientation activity to prepare a change of mood or topic. a game or amusing item to round off the lesson with a smile!

Blackboard Bingo
Procedure: Write on the board 10 or 15 words which you would like to review. Tell the students to choose any five of them and write them down. Read out the words, one by one and in any order. if the students have written down one of the words you call out they cross it off. When they have crossed off all their five words they shout, Bingo. Check that they are correct. Variation: The procedure above demands recognition of sound and spelling relationships. You can make the activity more demanding by giving, for example, a definition of the words. The students must then listen for meaning and match this definition with their words.

Chain Story
Procedure: Begin telling a story. This can be the first few lines of a story from your course book, or improvised, or you can invite a student to start. Then going round the class, each student has to add another brief installment to the story. Variation: Before you start, ask each student to choose a word. It can be an item of vocabulary recently learnt, a verb in the past tense, or freely chosen. Then each installment has to include the work the student has chosen.

Diaries
Procedure: Ask the students to keep a diary, and allow five minutes once or twice a week for this to be done. The diary can be about the students experience of the lessons and what they feel they have achieved, or it can be about other matters of concern to them. The diary does not need to follow the convention of a day-byday record. It can be kept private, or shared with another student and/or shared with you. Note that this is not an appropriate vehicle for correcting mistakes of language.

If I had a million dollars

Procedure: Tell the students to imagine that a million dollars (or a equally large sum in the local currency) is to be won by the person who can think of the most original (or worthwhile, or exciting) things to do with the money. Listen to their ideas and decide who has won.

Picture Dictation
Procedure: Describe a scene or person, giving the students time to draw what you say. Let them compare pictures with each other. If there is time, they can then dictate the picture back to you while you draw it on the board. Variation: This can be done the other way round: the students dictate a drawing to you, each contributing a different detail. Or they can work in pairs, dictating to each other.

Lets Pack a Suitcase

Procedure: (Prework - create flashcards/pictures of enough travel items so each student can have one) Explain to the students they will be going on an imaginary trip and that we need to pack a suitcase. Call on a student (Anna) and give them one of the flashcards/ pictures. State: Coat This is a coat Anna has a coat. The student takes the card back to their desk. When all cards are given out, state, We need a coat for our trip. Who has a coat? Anna must answer, I have a coat. Continue until all the items are in the suitcase.

Slap!
Procedure: Review or introduce vocabulary. Teacher fills the blackboard with words (ex. nouns, holiday words, etc.). Two teams of students line up. The first from each team stand at a pre-designated line. The teacher says one word and the first student to slap the word on the blackboard gets a point. Be careful to talk about the appropriate manner a slap occurs...you dont want to break anything!

Telephone

Procedure: The students line up their chairs in a line. The teacher whispers a sentence (created depending on their level) into the first students ear. The student then whispers it into the second students ear, etc. Each student may say, please repeat one time. The last student stands and shares the sentence. Usually it is NOT how it started out!

Shopping Bag
Procedure: Put the students in groups of 8-10 people. The first person in the group starts by saying the following sentence: Yesterday I went to the market and I bought some fish. The next person in the group repeats the first sentences and adds another thing that they bought. Example: Yesterday I went to the market and I bought some fish and some bananas. Each person in turn repeats the sentence and adds another item. The students have to concentrate hard to remember all the things in the correct order.

Toss the Ball

Procedure: Have students sit in a circle (or their desks). Use a soft/plush ball and toss it to a student saying one English word as you pass. Then the student passes it to another student saying a different English word. You can use different categories, such as food, animals, colors (depending on their level). Great for review.

Pictionary

Procedure: Make flashcards with three words (easy, medium, hard). Break students into groups of 4+. Each students gets a flashcard and can pick one word to draw for the other students in the group. Continue for specific amount of time. The group that guesses the most words is the winner.

Blind Listening
Procedure: Give each student a blank sheet of paper. Each student then stands and closes their eyes. Have student follow directions. 1. Fold sheet in half. 2. Tear off bottom right corner. 3. Fold in half again. 4. Tear off left top corner 5. Tear bottom right corner 6. Fold in half again. 7. Tear off top right corner. Everyone unfolds their paper. Each should be the same, but all are different. WHY? (Importance of active listening)

Find the Words

Procedure: Write a sentence on the blackboard, for example, Happy Saint Patricks Day. Have the students write down as many words as they can using the letters in the sentence. Whoever finds the most words wins...then write all the words on the board.

Activities PDF

Lesson Plan
(Advanced)

Greek Mythology
Gods and Goddesses & Myths

Percy Jackson Trailer or Disney Hercules Trailer

Mt. Olympus
The magical kingdom of all of the Gods and Goddess... Ruled by Zeus!

King and Queen of Mt. Olympus

Greek Name Roman Name Description

Zeus

Jupiter

King of the Gods (Player) Queen of the Gods Goddess of family (Jealous)

Hera

Juno

Zeus, Jupiter King of the gods Women loved him and he loved them. Symbol: Lightning bolt

Hera, Juno Queen of the gods Goddess of the family Symbol: pomegranate (symbol of fertility)
Hera, queen of the gods

Brothers of Zeus
Greek Name Roman Name Description

Poseidon

Neptune

Ruler of the seas, brother of Zeus Brother of Zeus, ruler of the Underworld.

Hades

Pluto

Poseidon, Neptune Ruler of the sea Responsible for natural and supernatural events Symbol: Trident

Hades, Pluto Supreme ruler of the underworld God of the dead Symbol: Helmet (helped him stay invincible)

Top Ten Olympic Gods and Goddesses!

Greek Name

Roman Name

Description Goddess of love, romance, and beauty God of sun, music, and poetry. Twin of Artemis God of War Goddess of the hunt and moon. Twin of Apollo Goddess of wisdom and war Goddess of agriculture God of re and forge Messenger of the gods Calm goddess of home and homelife. Joyful god of wine

Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Demeter Hephaestus Hermes Hestia Dyonysus

Venus Apollo Mars Diana Minerva Ceres Vulcan Mercury Vesta Bacchus

Aphrodite, Venus Goddess of love and beauty Mother of Eros Wife of Hephaestus Lover to Ares Symbol: Dove

Apollo, Apollo God of sun, music, poetry Twin to Artemis Gift of prophecy Symbol: Lyre

Ares, Mars God of War Not well liked by the other gods Ares and Aphrodite had a daughter-Harmony Symbol: Spear and dogs

Artemis, Diana Goddess of moon and hunt Twin to Apollo Absolute power over nature Symbol: Bow

Athena, Minerva Goddess of wisdom and war Approached war in terms of Justice Symbol: Staff and Owl

Demeter, Ceres Goddess of agriculture (grain) Mother of Persephone Taught mortals harvest Symbol: Wheat

Dionysus, Bacchus Goddess of wine and festivities Party Guy Symbol: Grapes

Hephaestus, Vulcan God of metal working Only physically ugly god Husband to Aphrodite
She played him

Symbol: Fire, ax, and hammer

Hermes, Mercury Messenger God Fastest because of his winged shoes Only god who could visit heaven, earth, and underworld Symbol: Wings

Hestia, Vesta Goddess of the hearth Kind and forgiving Symbol: Flame

Other Important Near Deities

Name

Description Queen of the Underworld; Daughter of Demeter Three headed dog off the Underworld. God of love; son of Aphrodite Three fates: spin measure, and cut life Nine beautiful deities

Persephone Cerberus Eros The Fates The Muses

Persephone We will read the story. Hades loved her and stole her from her mother, Demeter She spends 6 months with Mom and 6 months with husband

Cerberus Watch dog of the underworld Prevent the dead from exiting Three heads, very scary

Eros, Cupid We will read the story. Son of Aphrodite Falls in love with beautiful, mortal Psyche Convinces Zeus to make her immortal

The Fates Clotho-spins the thread of destiny Lacesis- measures Atropos-cuts Determined every mortals life No other god could alter their decision

Muses 9 beautiful, intelligent deities Each Muse was in charge over an intelligence Required to praise them in epic poetry

Writing a Myth
What is a myth?
A myth is a made up story that explains the existence of a natural phenomenon - such as where thunder comes from or why snow falls from the sky. Myths often include gods and goddesses and other supernatural characters who have the power to make extraordinary things happen.

Write a Myth
1. Create a setting 2.Imagine a hero 3.Set your hero on a quest 4.Give your hero a Talisman 5.Surround your hero with lots of conflict 6.Let your hero win!

Show the Movie!