Infonews n°296 from 04/02/2007
History
Vital Guide to Valentines
Poems
Interactive pages for poems and valentines
- Wacky tales
- Be my Valentine
- Anti-Valentine
Activities
Handicrafts
Various sites about Valentine
Teaching material
What is Chinese New Year?
Festival and traditions all over the world
Activities by level
- For all levels
- For beginners
- For lower intermediates and above
- for upper intermediate and advanced students
Videos to teach English to professional working in restaurants and services
Trams in Portland, Oregon
Weekly online crossword from the BBC
A word explained in Online Vocabulary (with sound and explanation)
Job : Soldier in Canada
*** Police dog's life in danger
English and Chemistry : Chem1 Virtual Textbook (from The Scout Report -- February
2)
English and History : Digital History (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
English and Music : Drummerworld (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
Moodle 1.7 (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
eTwinning technical chat session
Droits pour l'utilisation de documents protégés en classe
Surprise yourself......Read this text: who do you think it is about?
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070202friday.html
I think this text is easy enough for intermediate students, and can even be
edited for lower intermediates. Here is the lesson plan suggested by the New
York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070202friday.html
but I think the text itself is enough to invite our students to emit hypothesis
about who it is about, and show then what humor in an article can be...
Then they might be ready to go on to limericks or funny poems (see the poem
section below).
This is an update from Infonews n°237 and the special report in le Café Pédagogique
n°59: http://www.cafepedagogique.net/disci/anglais/59.php#81.
*** And I also just discovered this site called
"One Life : Valentine's Day" from the BBC, complete with confidence
tricks, body language, what to wear and not wear, and a full guide about relationship,
dating, STI (sexually transmitted infections), safe sex, etc.. I'm sure teenagers
will love it...although I just discovered it and I don't know how I will use
it in class....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/personal/relationships/valentine.shtml?focuswin&hp_rh_promo
History
http://familyinternet.about.com/library/blvalentinesdayfacts.htm (dates
et infos)
http://holidays.mrdonn.org/valentine.html
http://www.holidays.net/amore/story.html
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/valentines/stories/history/
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/valentines/1929328/detail.html
http://wilstar.com/holidays/valentn.htm
http://wvwv.essortment.com/valentinedayhi_rbzk.htm
Vital Guide to Valentines
Ask Jeeves' Butler Bulletin offers information, activities and recipes
http://www.me2u.com/LoveLore/Newsletter/2001/feb04_2001.tmpl
Poems
Some classical love poems, including the red red rose and Browning's strange
and deranging "Porphyria's lover"
http://www.2learn.ca/mapset/enjoy/valentines/valpoetry.html
*** a strange and deranging poem as a visual work of art : very beautiful but
I don't really see how to use it in class....
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/porphyria/index.html
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/porphyria/porphyria.html
love poems and love songs lyrics (from brigitte Baudet on eTeach)
http://www.links2love.com/poetry_poems_2nd.htm
http://www.links2love.com/love_lyrics.htm
Interactive pages for poems and valentines
- Wacky tales
http://www.eduplace.com/tales/content/wwt_004.html
- Be my Valentine
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,98851,00.html
- Anti-Valentine
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/games/white/0,9970,98844,00.html
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,98833,00.html
Activities
http://www.activitiesforkids.com/holiday/holiday_valentines.htm (activités
et travaux manuels pour tous niveaux.)
http://www.123child.com/UBB/showthread.php?t=3096 (
avec aussi des poèmes)
Handicrafts
http://www.papervalentines.com/toc.htm
Various sites about Valentine
http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Holiday.html#Valentine
The history, links to various sites for handicrafts and recipes
http://www.2learn.ca/mapset/enjoy/valentines/valentines.asp
http://www.gpschools.org/ci/ce/elem/holidays/val.htm
Valentine Short stories mysteries ( a bit long, but easy to read, for upper
intermediates)
http://www.mysterynet.com/love/valentine/
A nice and short classical love story, for intermediates ( the tale of Cupid
and Psyche)
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/mythical/psyche.html
Teaching material
- a lesson
for intermediates by Isabel Pérez Torres in Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Friday,
January 28th, based on a text which I personally don't like the way the story
is presented in the first person, but the comprehension activities on the text
are interesting and ready to use.
http://www.isabelperez.com/St.ValentineReading.htm
http://www.isabelperez.com/word/stvalentine.doc
- an easy word search
even for beginners:
http://www.teacherview.com/ActivityPages/word_search/holidays/val_search.htm
Chinese New Year this year is on February 18th. It's the year 4705 and will move from the year of the dog into the year of the pig. But don't forget the February the 18th is also Presidents' Day in the USA (see infonews n°294).
What is Chinese New Year?
http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html (about
the date)
http://www.new-year.co.uk/chinese/ (easy)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html (short
and easy, no picture)
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html (id)
http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/holidays/hanae.html (a
text for lower intermediates and above)
http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/festival/newyear/newyear.html (about
the traditional celebrations, for advanced students)
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/CNY/ (with
lots of links)
http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Holiday.html#ChineseNY
Festival and traditions all over the world
Melbourne, Australia
http://www1.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/ObjectID.0009529B-C3B9-1F00-B93380C476A90000/vvt.vhtml
all over the US
http://travelwithkids.about.com/cs/holidays/l/blchinesenewyea.htm
Taiwan
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/lunar-NY/ (for
intermediates, lots of info )
London, UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/01/10/cny_celebrations_feature.shtml
Activities by level
- For all levels
Lots of activities organised by level : http://www.thecanadianteacher.com/archives/318
- For beginners
The Classroom Flyer, Friday, February 2nd recommends this simple mini-book: "Elementary
students can learn about the Chinese New Year with this printable and informative
mini book, in a simple print, fold, color and assemble format. (K-3)
http://www.chineseparade.com/pdf/CNY%20celebration%20worksheet.pdf
- Arts and craft for the youngest
Pig origami : http://www.chineseparade.com/pdf/CNY%20celebration%20worksheet.pdf
Paper masks : http://www.kinderart.com/multic/cpapermask.shtml
Chinese dragoons : http://www.kinderart.com/multic/chinesedragon.shtml
3D accordion dragoons : http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/Accordian%20Dragon%20Lesson.html
Spinning Yoyo : http://www.inklesstales.com/crafts/top/
Lantern : http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/china__dim_sum__spring_fes.html
other crafts : http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/
- how to use chopsticks
In primary school, you could organise a Chinese meal on Feb 18th, and teach
them how to use chopsticks with this easy guide which you could also turn into
a poster for the classroom:
http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/LessonPlans/pdf/dec05_unit/chopstick.pdf (
not very complete, but good English)
http://east.portland.ne.jp/~k_tok/life01.htm (
very efficient and detailed, but made by a Japanese and it contains several
mistakes as on "disposable")
- For lower intermediates and above
an easy cyberhunt with a ready to use worksheet. The questions and the pages
to visit are in simple English.
http://www.fcps.edu/KingsParkES/technology/newyear/index.htm
http://www.fcps.edu/KingsParkES/technology/greatwall/wksht.pdf
- for upper intermediate and advanced students
discover "China the beautiful" with Classical Chinese Art, Calligraphy,
Poetry, History, Literature, Painting and Philosophy ( for literature and art
students)
http://www.chinapage.com/main2.html
*** Six strategies to study China on the web. A really comprehensive site,
very well made and efficient
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/
You would like to study poetry in class? here are some site recommended by
our colleagues on the lists, plus some more I found.
To teach poetry :
- Poetry teacher and giggle poetry : find recommendations to motivate your
students for poetry, to perform poetry in the classroom, and to help them write
poetry.
http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/poetclass.html
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/
- How to use poetry to teach reading and writing
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=152
A poem a day for American high school (to read)
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
Poems to hear (no text, but with the titles you can easily find them online)
http://www.verse.us/
http://town.hall.org/radio/HarperAudio/012294_harp_ITH.html (
Robert Frost)
Other poems (I like "sent to my room"....so true!)
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/HOON4VR/hopscotchmyplace.html?mtbrand=AOL_US
- Teen Ink : poetry written by teens
http://teenink.com/Past/9900/April/Poetry/Enchanted.html
- Suggestion for February as poetry month :
"Poetry prompts keen observation, exploration, symbolic thinking, and
patterning. Infusing poetry into your everyday classroom activities can support
creative learning! Check out these ideas to learn how."
[ I like to "health and poetry" part, based on the food pyramid.
]
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/thismonth/feb02/index.shtm
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/thismonth/feb02/index1.shtm#2
- to find poems on a specific topic or from a special author
http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do
- interview of a poet for children (video and full transcript)
http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/singleInterview.do?interviewId=980#
- poems to hear and read
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/home.do
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=1552 ( "I,
too", by Langston Hughes an easy poem about being black in the US in 1955)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/outloud/index.shtml (
my students loved the "Cat's Protection League".)
Videos to teach English to professional working in restaurants and services
Those videos are recommended by Thot and produced by Téléformation et Savoirs
(TFS) for adult professionals. They are 13 minute films presenting a situation
in an artificial but realistic manner, and actors who are not native speakers.
The scripts are very well done for artificial documents, and there is even
a bit of humor. Those docuemtns could be used with professionnal with a weak
level, because they all start with someone who has problems with speaking English,
and who manages to produce correct sentences in the end.
http://thot.cursus.edu/rubrique.asp?no=25327
links to all the videos (choose connaissance générales, anglais professionnel,
or enter the name of the clip in the seach window.)
http://videotheque.tfs.lorraine.afpa.fr/start.php
Two types of public :
- tertiary, with "A business trip" : making the arrangements, meeting
with an English coach to speak and behave correctly, etc...
http://videotheque.tfs.lorraine.afpa.fr/ilias.php?ref_id=9022&cmd=layout&cmdClass=illmpresentationgui&cmdNode=1&baseClass=ilLMPresentationGUI
- catering, with "English in the dish"
http://videotheque.tfs.lorraine.afpa.fr/repository.php?ref_id=6573&cmd=render
Trams in Portland, Oregon
"The city of New Orleans had a streetcar named desire. New York still
has the "A" train. Portland, Oregon now has its "Jean" and "Walt".
These happen to be the names of the two cabins that comprise the city's newly
opened tram line."
: this is how this special report from The Scout Report from february 2nd starts.
Read the rest of the article and explore the links, there is even a song!
http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/inthenews.php
Weekly online crossword from the BBC
Discover this new feature from the BBC Learning English website. It is aimed
at advanced students, mature enough to work on their own. You invite them
to visit the page, and open another window to visit other pages. For each
definition of word in the grid, there is a link to a text or a program from
Learning English where they can find the answer. It is a good opportunity
to let them explore the site and discover all the precious resources offered
there.
"Have fun while you test out what you've learned each week with BBC Learning
English! "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/crosswords/index.shtml
A word explained in Online Vocabulary (with sound and explanation)
Listen to this program from BBC Learning English : "What on earth is a
'netizen'? Only Professor David Crystal has the answer in our popular series
about new English words..."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1130_uptodate2/page13.shtml
Job : Soldier in Canada
In Weekender today, BBC Learning English meets Jeffrey, who tells us about
his work as a soldier in the Canadian army.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1549_weekender_extra/
[ weekender is a special program to learn English : this means that the interview
is not given as is, but that after each answer from Jeffrey, there is a comment
on what he said bythte journalist, who repeats what he says, comments on the
words he used, and even gives other examples. The program "as is" is
appropriate for advanced motivated adult students. But teachers can also edit
the text and remove the comments.]
*** Police dog's life in danger
the BBc offers this easy and attractive topic for lower intermediates and above.
There is the sound file, the script and the vocabulary.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/01/070129_agata.shtml
English and Chemistry : Chem1 Virtual Textbook (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
"Chemistry serves as a fundamental discipline for those who will go on
to careers in everything from medicine to nutrition and it is important for
students of this science to have a wide range of resources at their disposal.
One rather useful online resource is this virtual textbook for general chemistry
created and updated by Professor Stephen Lower of Simon Fraser University.
Visitors to the site can dive right in by reading an introduction titled "What
is Chemistry all about, anyway?", and then proceed through a very well-structured
set of chapters dedicated to the basics of atoms, equations, chemical energetics
and other topics that would be typically covered in such a course. The site
is rounded out by a good set of links to related interactive chemistry tutorials
and exercises. [KMG]
http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/virtualtextbook.html
English and History : Digital History (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
Utilizing digital and online technologies to teach different disciplines continues
to be quite popular, and the Digital History website will be a most welcome
find for teachers (and students) of American history. Developed in collaboration
with the University of Houston, the Chicago Historical Society, the Museum
of Fine Arts in Houston and several other entities the site includes an online
American history textbook, an interactive timeline, a multimedia section,
and a very rich selection of primary source materials.
The multimedia section is a real find, as it contains several well-thought
out lectures with titles like "The History of Domestic Violence",
"The Cultural Civil War of the 1960s", and
"America Today and America Past". Students will also appreciate the
writing guide area, as it contains several short essays on how to write in
a history class and how to compose a
critical book review. [KMG]
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
[ lots of ready to use handouts :
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/handouts.cfm ]
English and Music : Drummerworld (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
Drummers and those who generally love the musical arts will appreciate Bernhard
Castiglioni's very comprehensive website dedicated to the art and practice
of drumming. Based in Switzerland, Castiglioni has spent a great deal of
his personal attention and care in crafting a site that contains information
about dozens of drummers, material on drum clinics, and reports from major
drumming conventions and conferences. The "DrumClinic" section
should be a first-stop for aspiring drummers, as they can browse through
video clips of professionals demonstrating various techniques and grooves.
And best of all, the material is by no means limited to just jazz and rock
drumming, as other styles, such as Latin and gospel drumming are covered
as well. Of course, the section "Drummers" contains very fine clips
of numerous musicians, including contemporary favorites as Sheila E. and
Meg
White and jazz stalwarts such as Rashied Ali and Art Blakey. Other notable
performances include a meeting between Gene Krupa, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the
man who was billed as the "world's greatest drummer", Buddy Rich.
[KMG]
http://www.drummerworld.com/index2.html
Moodle 1.7 (from The Scout Report -- February 2)
The word moodle is an acronym for "modular object-oriented dynamic learning
environment", which is quite a mouthful. What Scout Report readers should
know is that Moodle 1.7 is a tremendously helpful opens-source e-learning platform.
With Moodle, educators can create a wide range of online courses with features
that include forums, quizzes, blogs, wikis, chat rooms, and surveys. On the
Moodle website, visitors can also learn about other features and read about
recent updates to the program. This application is compatible with computers
running Windows 98 and newer or Mac OS X and newer. [KMG]
http://moodle.org/
[ a free tool to create your own e-learning environment.]
eTwinning technical chat session
On e-teach, our colleague Catherine Serreau sends us information about this
online chat. Here is what you can read on the page:
"For one hour each day, you can ask Santi Scimeca, Senior Portals Manager
at European Schoolnet, any questions you might have about problems you’ve encountered
or things you would like to do but don’t know how. "
http://www.etwinning.net/ww/en/pub/etwinning/news/articles/talk_technical_through_chat.htm
Droits pour l'utilisation de documents protégés en classe
Celine Roos nous signale ce texte du B.O. numéro 5, 1er février 2007 - Encart
MISE EN ŒUVRE DES ACCORDS SECTORIELS SUR L'UTILISATION DES ŒUVRES PROTÉGÉES À DES
FINS D'ENSEIGNEMENT ET DE RECHERCHE
Note du 23-1-2007
NOR : MENJ0700078X
RLR : 180-1
MEN - DAJ B1
http://www.education.gouv.fr/bo/2007/5/MENJ0700078X.htm
Ceci est un message de la LISTE INFONEWS
réalisé par Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
E-Mail: Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr
Les commentaires et réflexions entre [ ] ne reflètent que mon opinion personnelle.
Pour voir les archives:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/infonews/une1.htm
Pour consulter les sources:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/infonews/archives/sourcinfonw.htm
Pour vous inscrire ou vous désinscrire:
http://listes.ac-rouen.fr/wws/info/liste-infonews