Infonews n°302 from 08/04/2007
51 ways to save our environment
An earth friendly home
The tortilla effect
Ge-ecomagination
The great Garbage Caper
Recycle Trash into Artwork
The planet
A poster to download
Webquests
Page of Links
*** Song : wheels on the bus
Rhyme a week cards (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Literacy games (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Monsters song
Build a monster bug (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
April is Poetry Month (from Educational CyberPlayGround K12 Newsletter)
Everyday mystery
Alternative Fairy Tale Endings (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Full time mothers as Space Tourists
France in America (from Library of Congress Learning Page Newsletter)
The bicycle as a system (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Webtour : free resources about environment, earth science and energy (from)
Fiche méthodologique pour la description iconographique
Miss Potter
5 year calendar of celebrations
Ideas to motivate students (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
This special report from Time magazines offers many interesting resources
and several ways to use them. There are videos and ads to show to your whole
class to trigger speech, short articles and interactive features that they
can discover by themselves and them share, and some that you can even use as
basis for oral exams. Discover the three main sites on this page : 51 ways
to save our environment, an earth friendly home, Ge-ecomagination.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/
51 ways to save our environment
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/article/0,28804,1602354_1603074,00.html
51 short texts and pictures, each suggesting something to do to protect our
environment. Those texts can be good basis for short presentations and discussions,
for oral exams or just to invite students to learn different thing and then
put their ideas together.
An earth friendly home
http://www.time.com/time/2007/green_home/
Drag the magnifying glass over the different rooms to see what's inside :
a window opens under the picture which shows how much CO2 is produced by one
person in this room,
In the "related links" in green, access several sheets out of the
51 concerning devices in this room and giving tips to reduce pollution (read
about the steaks in the kitchen!),
click on the different devices to read short facts and quick solutions.
The tortilla effect
a short article explaining that with the increasing need for biofuel, some
products like tortilla and beer can become more expensive. A good basis for
a discussion or a debate.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/article/0,28804,1602354_1596572_1604188,00.html
Ge-ecomagination
A superbe flash site from General Electric Company. Available in English,
French, German and Japanese.
http://ge.ecomagination.com/
- From the front page, click on "our commitment"
at the bottom of the page and then "global view"
to access diagrams and figures about the world's population growth, uncontrolled
urbanization, climate change and drinking water supply
http://ge.ecomagination.com/@v=020220071742@/site/index.html#vision
- the ads : TV ads (I loved the surprising
"fishing" about water desalinization) and also several beautiful
print ads with interesting information.
http://ge.ecomagination.com/@v=020220071742@/site/index.html#news/ads
- specification sheets, user manuals and installation instructions for different
types of electric ovens and a vine and beverage center
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SPECPAGE&SKU=JT980SKSS&SITEID=GEA&TABID=4
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/images/t07/0000004/r04074v-1.pdf
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/images/t07/0000008/r08405v-1.pdf
http://www.geappliances.com/products/introductions/wine_beverage/downloads/wine_beverage_brochure.pdf
- for beginners and lower intermediates and above : lessons and worksheets
about the wind (from dot to dot and coloring sheets to more sophisticated lessons)
http://www.gepower.com/businesses/ge_wind_energy/en/kids_teachers/index.htm
see especially this home inventory which invites students to review all the
electrical devices in each room and think of a conservation idea for each,
than compare with the results the other students found and discuss solutions.
http://www.gepower.com/businesses/ge_wind_energy/en/downloads/inventory.pdf
- for techicians : see this fact sheet about nuclear energy, and a poster and
other fact sheets about nuclear energy
http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/nuclear_energy/en/downloads/nuclear_business.pdf
http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/nuclear_energy/en/nuclear_fuel.htm
and lots of other resources for technicians in different fields available there:
http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/index.htm
The great Garbage Caper
In this interactive and online investigation into school trash, students
will explore how to properly recycle and what can be done with more toxic substances.
It is an online story for intermediates and above, originally designed for
American under 10s, but which contains lots of valuable information.
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/fun_n_games/storybook/waste.cfm
Recycle Trash into Artwork
Primary school teachers and their students will enjoy the wonderful art lessons
available at this site, where the premise is to reuse discarded materials for
very creative art projects. On this page, you can choose your recyled material
and then match it with an art lesson.
http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/matchtmp.html
The planet
Lower intermediate and above will find there all the resources they need
to get information on the problems and solutions to global warming.
http://www.cafepedagogique.net/lemensuel/lenseignant/languesvivantes/anglais/Pages/81_EnvironnementTheplanet.aspx
A poster to download
Download this poster from Planet Pals and comment it with your students.
http://www.planetpals.com/pdfimages/recyclekit3_b.pdf
Webquests
*** for lower intermediates upwards, discover Michèle Henry's webquests:
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/earthwq.htm
Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., Apr.6 recommends this webquest to invite
the students to discover what bugs are beneficial and what are not.
http://ecokids.earthday.ca/pub/fun_n_games/games/bugHunt/index.cfm
Page of Links
Find lots of resources (games, songs, articles, interactive pictures) on
the page I built for my students last year, fully updated!)
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/themes/earthday.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/themes/earthandenvironment.html
*** Song : wheels on the bus
Listen to the song in MP3, download the worksheet and read the teacher's
notes
http://www.the-bus-stop.net/songs/songs/The-Wheels-On-The-Bus.mp3
http://www.the-bus-stop.net/songs/TheWheelsOnTheBusWS.pdf
http://www.the-bus-stop.net/songs/TheWheelsOnTheBusTN.pdf
and the Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter suggests this mini book to make
and color
http://www.prekinders.com/BusBook1.pdf
http://www.prekinders.com/BusBook2.pdf
http://www.prekinders.com/BusBook3.pdf
http://www.prekinders.com/BusBook4.pdf
Rhyme a week cards (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Find loads of resources here for exploring and teaching nursery rhymes to
your PreK-2 classes. Picture cards, riddles, and lesson plans are all available,
with several printable resources included as well. (PreK-2)
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/rimes_and_rhymes.htm#Week1
[ excellent visual material to encourage young ESL students to get used to
the music of English.]
Literacy games (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Games are a fun way for children to practice specific reading, writing and
spelling skills. They can spark interest, increase confidence in young readers
and writers, and change the pace of a tutoring session. Help give students
a boost in reading skills by playing literacy games. Find eight games here
to practice reading strategies with mix-ups, versions of Old Maid, Go Fish,
and Monopoly, or use the activities for word families or finding sounds. (K-4)
http://www.bankstreet.edu/literacyguide/games.html
[ great ideas of activities for ESL students too!]
Monsters song
on e-teach, a colleague was looking for a site to make a monster. Hélène
Cayuela recommended this game from the British Council, and also this song:
make a monster game : <http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-games-make-a-monster.htm>http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-games-make-a-monster.htm
monster rap :http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-songs-monster-rap.htm
and you can of course find those addresses and a lot more on the marvellous
site of our colleague from Nancy Metz, Michèle Henry:
<http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/des.htm>http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/des.htm
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/create.htm
<http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/corps2.htm#interg>http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/corps2.htm#interg
Build a monster bug (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Students will Build a Bug with this online learning game. Younger students
will simply have fun trying to match up the parts, or mixing them for their
own monster bug to print out. Third grade classes can read the information
for each insect and try to assemble all of the correct parts. (PreK-3)
http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/bugs/index.htm#
April is Poetry Month (from Educational CyberPlayGround K12 Newsletter)
Search for poetry audio clips by poem title or the author's name. Hear The
Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, or listen to how the idea of "The Negro
speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes.
http://www.poets.org/
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/361
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15717
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722
Everyday mystery
The library of congress presents this site where you can ask questions and
where the answers are very complete and reliable, but sometimes a bit difficult
for our students. For example, how does a GPS works leads to Nasa and university
sites which are much more difficult than How Stuff Works. You may also be interested
in the different between yams and sweet potatoes, or discovering why geese
fly in a V shape.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/global.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/sweetpotato.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/geese.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/archive.html
Alternative Fairy Tale Endings (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Early elementary students will read selections from familiar fairy tales,
such as, "Jack and the Beanstalk", "The Three Little Pigs", "Beauty
and the Beast", "Hansel and Gretel", "Cinderella",
or
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". They will then choose one of those
stories and create a completely different ending. Prompt them by asking, "What
would happen if...? (if Snow White never took a bite of the apple; if Cinderella
had one evil step sister and one good step sister, etc.) to help them imagine
a different ending. Students should then plan and write a paragraph with a
new ending to the classic fairy tale they choose. Here is a resource for online
versions of several classic fairy tales.
http://ivyjoy.com/fables/
Full time mothers as Space Tourists
On eteachNet, our colleague J.Marc.Brauer who teaches physics in English
recommends this article about the last space tourists (n°6 and 7). In their
interview in the article, they say that their trip will be a "milestone
for womankind"....Read the full article and more information on their
site:
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/HerOrbitcom_Cofounders_Are_Headed_to_Space_999.html
http://www.herorbit.com/space.php
France in America (from Library of Congress Learning Page Newsletter)
This site could be very useful for TPE or teachers teaching history in English.
"This bilingual collection contains books, maps, prints, and other documents
that illuminate the role France played in exploration and settlement, the French
and Indian War, and the American Revolution. Offering teaching strategies for
viewing history from different perspectives, this Collection Connection will
be useful to both World and American History teachers."
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/collections/france/index.html
The bicycle as a system (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
Spring is the perfect time to go cycling - but wouldn't it be best for students
to thoroughly understand their machines first? They will get to know the different
parts and how they work as a whole, with each feature being evaluated for speed,
safety, comfort, and durability in the overall performance of the machine.
(6-8)
the lesson
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=11&DocID=12
the site
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/
worksheet
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/pdfs/bicycle_actsheet.pdf
[ designed to teach technology to US children aged about 13, this lesson can
also work well with technology orientated students in upper secondary school
or above.]
Webtour : free resources about environment, earth science and energy (from)
Technology & Learning's Educators' eZine has assembled on this page some
of the best free online web sites for information, activities, and resources
for learning about Earth Science, Weather, Climate, and Energy.
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604342
Fiche méthodologique pour la description iconographique
Notre collègue Yvan Baptiste nous propose cette fiche très complète pour
aider nos élèves à
mémoriser ce dont ils ont besoin pour décrire une image à l'oral:
<http://perso.orange.fr/yvanbaptiste/methodo/iconocomment.pdf>http://perso.orange.fr/yvanbaptiste/methodo/iconocomment.pdf
Il a aussi préparé des exercices hot pot pour aider les élèves à mémoriser
la fiche
http://www.franglish.fr/icono/index.htm
Miss Potter
This film has nothing to do with Harry Potter, but tell the story of Beatrix
Potter, the young woman who wrote and drew the delicious Peter Rabbit stories.
I don't think our students would like to see the whole film, but girls will
definitely enjoy the activities offered on this page by our e-teach colleague
Florinda Fernandes : read about the author and answer questions, match Miss
Potter's stories with their title, watch the trailer and fill in the blanks.
http://ddata.over-blog.com/xxxyyy/0/43/50/45/hot-pot/beatrix-potter/miss-potter.html
To learn more about this topic, The Librarian's Internet information letter
has selected this link about the film:
http://www.enjoyenglandsnorthcountry.com/misspotter/
and also "Rabbits on the Moon: A Short History of Easter"
"This page, based on "The Easter Hare" from the May 1890 Atlantic
Monthly, "reveals that Easter and its customs have ancient and nearly
universal origins." Discusses the lunar aspect of the holiday, and the
ancient symbolism of the rabbit and eggs. Also includes links to material about
rabbits as being inappropriate Easter gifts. From the House Rabbit Society,
a nonprofit rescue and education group."
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/1/history-of-easter.html
5 year calendar of celebrations
[LII New This Week] April 5 recommends this page from Indiana University
which presents the dates of all the religious holidays until 2012, with links
to explain what the celebration is about.
http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/rel_hol_cal.html
Ideas to motivate students (from Classroom Flyer Teaching Newsletter)
If you are having problems with motivating your students - an issue which
can often be particularly trying during the middle school years, then try some
of the tips outlined here.
http://www.virtualsalt.com/motivate.htm
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réalisé par Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
E-Mail: Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr
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