The Speech Accent Archive

So you are an English speaker, right? Then you know different countries speak this language differently, just like any other language spoken and influenced by different groups of people in different places.

The Speech Accent Archive (click here) is the website that uniformly presents a large set of speech samples from a variety of language backgrounds. Native and non-native speakers of English read the same paragraph and are carefully transcribed. The archive is used by people who wish to compare and analyze the accents of different English speakers.

This is an amazing tool that was introduced by my great friend Mariana Hungria. It is surely a nice resource to work and show students in class.

The Universe Project

What a pleasure presenting the result of our 6th graders from Colégio Piracicabano. In The Universe Project, students were divided in groups, in which each group was responsible for bringing information and curiosities of one planet from the Solar System. 

Students then made their planets using poster boards and ink. The scale was based on the table below,  just multiplied by 10.

The selection of the information was made by the students themselves, assisted by the teacher. After they'd trained, they presented to another Environment group, also from the 6th grade. That's when we recorded the video.

I hope you enjoy! 

Aprendendo Outras Línguas - Duolingo

Acabei de encontrar um app muito interessante para dispositivos Apple, Android e até na internet comum. 

O Duolingo pode ajudar no processo de aprendizagem de inglês e outras línguas como francês, espanhol, etc. É um tipo de quiz que você reponde perguntas de acordo com seu nível linguístico e vai avançando os níveis de acordo com seus acertos.

Trabalha com tradução e tem áudio, além de exemplos de outras pessoas, etc. Logicamente que não substitui aulas e professores, mas sem dúvidas é uma ferramenta divertida pra desenvolver o aprendizado.

Veja o vídeo, baixe ou acesse, e curta!

Environment Project - 5th Grades

As part of the Environment subject from Colégio Piracicabano, my students from 5th grade A and B prepared this project, in which they were supposed to select 10 sentences from the chapter we'd studied, rehearse, prepare a poster, and then, present.  It was an amazing project and students really succeeded. I just loved the experience. I hope you enjoy it too.

5th Grade A

5th Grade B

Great students!

Present Perfect

We use the Present Perfect when:

1.   We’re talking about something that happened in a non-specific time in the past. The opposite of Simple Past.

Simple Past: “I finished my homework last night.”

Present Perfect: “I’ve finished my homework.

2.   There is a connection with the present:

-       I’ve lost my key. (= I haven’t got it now.)

-       Jim has gone to Canada. (= He is in Canada now.)

-       Have you washed your hair? (= Is it clean now?)

-       Oh dear, I’ve forgotten her name. (= I can’t remember it now.)

3.   We give new information or announce a recent happening:

-       Do you know about Jim? He’s gone to Canada.

-       I’ve lost my purse. Can you help me look for it?

4.   We use the present perfect with this morning/this evening/today/this week/this term etc. (when these periods are not finished at the time of speaking):

-       I’ve smoked ten cigarettes today.

-       Has Ann had a holiday this year?

-       I haven’t seen Tom this morning. Have you?

Structure:

Have (I, you, we, they) /has (S/he, it) + verb in the past participle (3^rd column of verbs)

We can use the present perfect with JUST (= a short time ago)

-       “Would you like something to eat?” “No, thanks. I’ve just had lunch.”

-       Hello, have you just arrived?

We can use the present perfect with ALREADY in questions to say that something has happened sooner than expected, to show surprise, or in affirmative, to express a happened experience:

-       “Have you already finished your meal?”

-       “Don’t forget to post the letter!” “I’ve already posted it.”

We often use EVER with the present perfect:

-       Have you ever eaten caviar? (At any time in a lifetime)

We also use to say you have NEVER done something or that you haven’t done something during a period of time that continues up to the present:

-       I have never smoked.

-       Jill has never driven a car.

We often use present perfect with YET. It shows that the speaker is expecting something to happen. Use yet only in questions (like already in questions, but to get an information and not show surprise) and negative sentences:

-       Has it stopped raining yet?

-       I haven’t told them about the accident yet.

PRACTICE Exercise I, Exercise II, Exercise III, Exercise IV

The "Seven" Game

Here's an idea of a game to entertain (English) classes…oh, and it does entertain. My students just love it!! The name of this game is “Seven”, and I learned this with some friends of mine, and I just adapted it to use in class.

It works not only numbers or parts of the body, but also concentration and speed of thought (action and reaction).

It may be used as a game to review, when a student who misses the track has to answer a question about the content previously student, or just for pure fun!

Different ages may play. What changes then is the instruction given by the teacher, which need to be shorter and clearer if played with very young students. Adults will enjoy it as well.

Below, the steps:

1. Ask students to stand up and form a circle.

2. Tell them that, to play the Seven game they need to know to count till seven. Practice it out loud with them as many times as necessary until you notice they know the sequence.

3. As students are aware of the sequence (1-7), tell them that each participant will say one of the numbers aloud from the sequence, start by moving clockwisely. But, every time they do so, they will have to touch one of their shoulders. Exemplify it by showing students how do to it. Ask them to repeat the movement.

4. Then, tell them that if they touch their left shoulder, the student on the left must continue the sequence, but if they touch their right shoulder, the student who is on the right must continue it, and so on. Attention: make it clear that they need to use one hand to touch the opposite shoulders (e.g. use right hang to touch left shoulder and vice versa). They cannot use the right hand to touch right shoulders, etc. In case they do it, they’re “out” of the game.

5. Play it slowly once so that students can practice. If the student misses the sequence, the turn, or the right way to move, s/he must sit down on the floor, or if you use the game as a review moment, ask him/her a question, and if the answer is right, s/he may stay in the game. It’s nice the ones who cannot answer the questions appropriately remain down because it may confuse the sequence, making others get “out” too, enhancing their concentration and ability to think fast.

6. This movement is the basic one. The teacher may put elements to make the game more challenging. For example, in the next turn of the game, tell students they will keep touching one of their shoulders for each number, but that for number “7”, instead of touching they shoulders, they will have to touch their heads. What will show the direction in which the sequence must follow is the side their fingers are pointed to when they touch their heads. If they touch it with their right hand, the fingers will be pointing to the left, so the sequence must followed by the student on the left.

7. You may ask them to touch their bellies in number 3, touch the shoulder then flex the knees in number one, for instance. Let your imagination flow!

Have fun!