Infonews n°281 from 24/09/2006
fcd3 Blog
September 22nd : Jewish New Year
September 24rd : beginning of Ramadan
October 6th : Chinese Moon Festival
October 26th : Diwali
Write with the calendar (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Wednesday, September
20th)
Discover Noggin
Talking Book
180 Degrees Pole to Pole Manpowered
Banned Books Week (from [LII New This Week] September 21)
Workplace Fairness: It's Everyone's Job (from [LII New This Week] September
21)
5 A Day: Vegetable of the Month: Cooking Greens (from [LII New This Week] September
21)
White House Dream Team (from [LII New This Week] September 21)
Wired Sciences Games and quizzes (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday,
September 21st)
Against fatty food
Robots
15th anniversary of the WWW (from the BBC)
Iron Maiden (from the BBC)
Skinny models (from the BBC)
Biographies of famous Londoners (from the BBC)
AudioTerm
2ème Édition du « Défi Bi-langue » du Collège Georges Cuvier de Fécamp
CECRL
A écouter sur Europe 1
fcd3 Blog
Would you like to start a blog for your students? Have a look at Sylvie
Marc's blog, created for her lower secondary school students in collège St
exupéry, dans l'académie d'Orleans-Tours
http://fcd3.over-blog.org/
You will find lots of useful addresses directing her students to various sites.
I especially enjoyed her teaching unit about environment, with this excellent
game from the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/sysm/eco/eco_friendly.shtml
and this page full of figures, facts and advices:
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/family/bike-helmet/bikehelmet.htm
See also her students' productions:
http://ourblog.over-blog.org/article-3044415.html
and don't miss her page of advices to her students: actuces et stratégies pour
progresser, basée sur le CECRL mais adapté à ses élèves:
http://fcd3.over-blog.org/categorie-745221.html
voyez aussi les sites qu'elle a sélectionné à propos du CECRL
http://fcd3.over-blog.org/categorie-744658.html
For lower primary school you can find several interactive sites from the BBC
at these addresses:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/5_9/index.shtml?sysm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/5_9/index.shtml?wwww
About how to use a blog in class, read this article from our colleague Alyne
Piazza
http://www.cafepedagogique.net/disci/pratiques/65.php
and visit her sites:
http://sallaumines.over-blog.com/
http://alynepiazza.neuf.fr/
September 22nd : Jewish New Year
Rosh HaShana is the name of the Jewish New year. This year will be 5767 for
them this year.
10 important things http://judaism.about.com/od/roshhashana/a/shana_ten.htm?nl=1
definition from Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/spot/roshhashanah1.html
definition from Judaism 101 http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm
September 24rd : beginning of Ramadan
it will be year 1427 for them.
definition from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Adha
definition from Infonplease http://www.infoplease.com/spot/ramadan1.html
from holiday.net http://www.holidays.net/ramadan/ (with
links)
October 6th : Chinese Moon Festival
definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival
with some legends http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/midfallstory.htm
about the moon cakes http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa093097.htm
with recipes http://chinesefood.about.com/od/mooncake/a/moonfestival.htm
October 26th : Diwali
Diwali is the festival of lights in India. A very important day for indians
all over the world.
http://www.diwali.nl/diwali2006.html
http://www.diwalifestival.org/
Write with the calendar (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Wednesday, September 20th)
Several days of the calendar, month-by-month, are covered with noteworthy
events. Click on each highlighted event to find related lesson plans, links,
classroom activities, and writing exercises.
http://www.readwritethink.org/calendar/index.asp?date=10/1/2006
[ suggestions for each day of the month...]
Discover Noggin
This site is meant for American pre-readers. It is based on the new concept
that the child will remember better if he has taken some active part in the
lesson instead of just looking at it passively. here are some of those activities
which can also be used in ESL classes for young beginners and lower intermediates:
- Story maker
The child hears a story, but not passively, he is invited to interact by first
giving his name, then making some choices. Thus the story becomes his.
http://www.noggin.com/games/zoolane/storymaker/
- Numbers and fruit and vegetables
The child has to click on "five apples" and when he clicks on the
first, you can hear "one apple" and so on.
http://www.noggin.com/games/miffy/recipe/
Talking Book
Discover this talking book on a Canadian site : it is in English and in French.
Each page is read, and then the child can roll his mouse over the different
words and hear them pronounced. the title is : "Stick goes to the doctor" and
the book is read as a book, including 'he said' 'he answered etc.
http://www.tvokids.com/framesets/bby.html?game=152&
180 Degrees Pole to Pole Manpowered
On eteachNet, our colleague Darren Rigby recommends this site featuring the
extraordinary record this two British teenagers will attempt : going from pole
to pole with skis and bikes.
http://www.180degrees.co.uk/
This trans-global expedition organised by Rob Gauntlett and James Hooper will
commence in March 2007. You can watch a video presenting their project, download
their brochure and read their pages about being inspirational for other youngsters
and about the logistics of their expedition:
http://www.180degrees.co.uk/intro.php
Darren also recommends this article in the Guardian about them
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/travel/story/0,,1876876,00.html
Their last expedition made them the youngest Britons to climb Mount Everest
(8850m). Read about them and this last expedition on their site:
http://www.everest-2006.com/
to know them : http://www.everest-2006.com/about.php
to know how they train : http://www.everest-2006.com/exped/train.php
to read what the local newspaper for West Sussex writes: http://www.theargus.co.uk/display.var.890466.0.0.php
article from the BBC : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4768123.stm
Banned Books Week (from [LII New This Week] September 21)
"This handout on this site offers ideas and resources for commemorating
Banned Books Week,
"the only national celebration of the freedom to read. Banned Books Week
is held during the last week of September." The handbook includes a list
of banned and challenged books with links to related articles, posters, and
links to related sites and sites that promote book banning. From the American
Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE)."
http://www.abffe.org/banned.htm
[ The last week of September in the US is banned book week. have a look at
the list, and, with advanced students who know the novels, you may want to
study the arguments of those who request the books to be banned (usually from
use in school). In the list, you'll find Huckleberry Finn, "I know why
the cage birds sing" by Maya Angelou, "catcher in the rye" and "to
kill a mocking bird". you may also use their page of links to sites against
or pro the ban:
http://www.abffe.org/bbw-resources.htm ]
Workplace Fairness: It's Everyone's Job (from [LII New This Week] September 21)
This collection of publications and resources focuses on workplace fairness
topics such as wages, retirement, discrimination, privacy, and unions. Website
sections focus on job survival (covering topics such as layoffs and sexual
harassment), women, older workers, immigrants, and public employees. From an
organization that provides "information, education, and assistance to
individual workers and their advocates nationwide and promotes public policies
that advance employee rights."
http://www.workplacefairness.org/
[some pages are not finished yet (including those about recruitment and job
interviews) but you can already find interesting material for intermediate
students and above. Apart from the articles, you can also find short facts
sheets and even some cartoons as in the page about discrimination.
http://www.workplacefairness.org/sc/discrimination.php
with links to statistics and more cartoons like this one:
http://www.claybennett.com/pages/class_action.html ]
5 A Day: Vegetable of the Month: Cooking Greens (from [LII New This Week] September 21)
"Descriptions and nutritional values for cooking greens, which "include
any type of cabbage where the green leaves do not form a compact head,"
including collards, mustard greens, kale, Swiss chard, and broccoli rabe. Provides
recipes for dishes using greens, such as poached eggs with collard greens,
and lentil and Swiss chard soup. From a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) website promoting fruit and vegetable consumption."
http://www.5aday.gov/month/greens.html
[ with advices, tips and recipes. See also the names and descriptions of various
fruit and vegetables:
http://www.5aday.gov/month/index.html
(do you know what tomatillos are? they look like green "physialis"....)]
White House Dream Team (from [LII New This Week] September 21)
Background for children about "heroes who made a significant contribution
to America through their dreams, character traits, and choices." Features
brief biographies and portraits of significant baseball players and other athletes,
patriots, teachers, authors, and artists, such as Jackie Robinson, Jessie Owens,
Samuel Adams, Anne Sullivan Macy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Gilbert Stuart.
Part of the whitehousekids.gov website.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/dreamteam/
a collection of interesting and short biographies. While you are there, have
a look at
"pets" and discover Ophelia! (with a full biography as well)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/ofelia/index.html
Wired Sciences Games and quizzes (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, September 21st)
Be a neutrino, build your own planet, find an archive of challenging questions
to test yourself in science, try to be a lighting designer, and more in this
online exploration of science concepts.
http://www.planet-science.com/text_only/wired/index.html
[various games and quizzes, some completely uninteresting. Explore the site...]
Against fatty food
On e-teach, two colleagues have found excellent visual supports against grease
and fast food:
Ellen Foucher has found this poster featuring a girl drinking cooking oil (that's
what you do when you eat chips!)
http://www.dagbladet.no/dinside/2006/09/22/477562.html
Yoann Panier has chosen for you this add from Adbusters against Mac Donald's
(52 % of a Burger is fat!)
http://www.adbusters.org/videos/video/bigmac.mov
[ those documents can be used at all levels to raise student's awareness of
how bad fast food is.]
Robots
On eTeachNet, Jean Marc Pilliere, a colleague teaching DNL (another subject
taught in English) recommends this video about Robotmow, a lawn mover robot
from Friendly Robotics
http://www.friendlyrobotics.com/videos/robomow/
and the site of the Slugbot
http://www.ias.uwe.ac.uk/People%20Pages/i-kelly/tta.htm
http://www.ias.uwe.ac.uk/Robots/slugbot.htm
For more technical informations, see this page about how the big track works
http://www.robotroom.com/BigTrak.html
for full information on a robot, but not so technical, see the site of Papero
http://www.incx.nec.co.jp/robot/
All these sites can be used with intermediate students studying engineering,
including technicians from BTSI.
15th anniversary of the WWW (from the BBC)
This year marks the 15th year of the World Wide Web. In this programme we
listen to a short interview with futurologist Ian Pearson about how the internet
has changed our lives.
http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/radio/specials/1446_entertainment/
[ note that this program comes with a full script, MP3 file and vocabulary
help. You can edit it and use only the interview with intermediate students.
Advanced students may profit from the whole program, but you have to train
them and warn them that it is not about the announced topic but about language
learning, and that the program will be useful if they do exactly what is advised
: listen to the interview and concentrate on the linguistic problems they point
at. Challenging, but not impossible to do with motivated advanced students.]
Iron Maiden (from the BBC)
"Iron Maiden are one of Britain's most successful and influential heavy
metal bands. They have recently released their 14th album. In this programme
we find out a little of the history of the band and hear from lead singer Bruce
Dickinson about the new album A Matter or Life and Death."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1218_the_charts/
You can download the transcript and the MP3 file, read the vocabulary, do a
quiz and follow links to the biography of the group and their official site.
intermediate students interested in music will enjoy this document.
Skinny models (from the BBC)
as a follow up to last week's Learning English article about skinny models:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2006/09/060913_models.shtml
listen to this video news item about fashion shows in Milan asking models to
carry with them a medical certificate attesting they are healthy. (no transcript)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3681938.stm
Biographies of famous Londoners (from the BBC)
"The Blue Plaque" features short biographies of famous Londoners
like Marx, Freud, Nehru, Ben Gourion, Benjamin Franklin, Karlorff or Jimmy
Hendrix. For each bio you can download the MP3 file and the transcript, read
the vocabulary and sometimes do a quiz. All texts are calibrated at about 350
words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1758_blue_plaque/index.shtml
for example for Jimmy Hendrix
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1758_blue_plaque/page13.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1758_blue_plaque/ram_files/hendrix.ram
AudioTerm
Some colleagues on e-teach decided that they could no longer wait for the "official" bank
of audio files to train the students to the new STG baccalaureat. So they decided
to start working together to build this bank themselves. They are still working
on it, and they may also constitute another bank with audio resources for lower
secondary school. You can see their work on Yvan Baptiste site:
http://www.franglish.fr/stgaudio/
and you can join the groups by contacting them on the lists.
2ème Édition du « Défi Bi-langue » du Collège Georges Cuvier de Fécamp
Enfin une version gratuite des Défis. Deux collègues enseignant en allemand
et anglais au Collège Georges Cuvier de Fécamp (76) proposent avec leurs deux
classes bi-langues (6ème et 5ème) un « défi bi-langue » destiné à vos classes
de 6èmes et 5èmes bi-langues.
L’inscription se fait par classe ou groupe. Elle est entièrement gratuite.
Cette année, les questions porteront sur « les pays de la Communauté Européenne ».
L’inscription est à renvoyer avant le 1er décembre 2006.
Pour plus de renseignement et recevoir la fiche d'inscription, écrivez à :
defi-bilangue.cuvier@ac-rouen.fr
CECRL
Annie Gwynn a rassemblé des adresses pour vous aider à connaitre, comprendre
et utiliser le Cadre:
http://perso.orange.fr/annie.gwynn/teachers_help.htm#cercl
Voyez aussi quelques exemples des évaluations diagnostiques ou bilan qui se
mettent en place dans les académies:
entrée en 6ème : http://www.discip.crdp.ac-caen.fr/anglais/documents/eva6/outils.html
fin de 3ème : http://www.ac-strasbourg.fr/sections/enseignements/secondaire/pedagogie/les_disciplines/langues_vivantes/anglais/evaluation/evaluations_de_fin_d/view
A écouter sur Europe 1
Dimanche 24 septembre 2006 de 15h à 16h vous pourrez écouter en direct la
chronique de Pascale Lafitte-Certa sur le plurilinguisme. Et vous pourrez ensuite
l'écouter sur le site.
http://www.europe1.fr/antenne/emissions.jsp?jour=week-end
Elle présentera deux évènements:
Evénements :" Semaine des cultures étrangères à Paris"
> http://www.ficep.info
Evénements :" Journée européenne des langues"
> http://www.coe.int/JEL
puis elle discutera de l'éveil aux langues avec :
- Michel Candelier , Professeur à l'Université du Mans, spécialiste de politique
linguistique et didactique des langues, responsable de projets européens sur
l'éveil à la diversité linguistique dans le primaire, qui a publié " L'éveil
aux langues à l'école primaire" , de Boeck
- Martine Kervran , Formatrice à l'IUFM de Bretagne en didactique des langues,
experte aupres du centre européen pour les langues vivantes qui a publié :" Les
langues du monde au quotidien - Observation réfléchie des langues" , SCEREN
CRDP de Bretagne
et :" Enseigner l'anglais avec Facilité" , Bordas
Ceci est un message de la LISTE INFONEWS
réalisé par Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
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