What does your dad do?

My students were learning names of jobs and what people do, for instance, a police officer keeps our community safe, a firefighter puts out fires, a taxi driver drives around town, etc. After a few classes and significant practice, we wrapped this lesson up with a writing task in which they wrote about their parents´ jobs. We used an app called CHATTER PIX, which allows users to add a voice to a picture. No need to mention they had a blast! 

OPTION 2: Students draw themselves in the clothes of the professional they want to become when they grow up and write about it. They can explain their choice by using a reason or an adjective.

Examples:

When I grow up...

I want to be a doctor because I want to help sick people.
I want to be a vet because I love animals and I want to help sick animals.
I want to be an architect because I think it´s interesting/fun/lucrative.

In the end, they record their text by using CHATTER PIX.


Tip: Allow students to practice reading their text before recording it, so you can correct any pronunciation difficulties they may have. 

Elections 2014

Last october, Brazilians voted for president and unlike previous elections, this one was marked by  fearce and really nasty comments of the candidates about their opponents' character. Instead of talking about their platform, they attacked each other trying to make them look unreliable to the voters (which explains the opening remark in the video). Thus,  I took this opportunity to assign a project for my teen students. Since they were learning the first conditional, they were supposed to pretend they were running for president and create a political platform in which they stated what they would do in case they won. They were supposed to use the possible starters below:

1) If you vote for me, I will...
2) If I win this election, I will...
3) If I have your vote/ support, I will...
4) If you give me a chance, I will...

When they finished writing their platforms, I proofread them and provided them with comments and suggestions. After that, the students used the school's IPads to design a poster, in which they would draw a symbol for their campaign, think of an "imaginary" party/number and come up with a catch phrase. The drawing app they used was DRAWP because it's super user friendly.

Once their posters were done, we filmed their platforms. I projected their posters on the data show screen and they stood before it. The videos are time consuming, therefore, I suggest that you assign this project to only one group of few students. I had 8 students In this class.

To wrap things up, we had an election in school. We set up a room with the video on, a ballot and voting slips displayed on a desk. Everyone going past the room was invited to go inside, watch the video and vote for one of the candidates.

My students enjoyed the project very much and took it very seriously every step of the way. In the end, the winner got a token.

The Fridge Song

This activity has been designed for a group of children. The grammar focus here was the verb THERE TOBE. 

STEP 1: First, students draw what they have in their fridges. (Teachers can use a data show equipment so they can share their drawings with peers)

STEP 2: Students guess what the teacher has in his/her fridge. The teacher projects a photo of his/her fridge, so students check whether they were right.

STEP 3: Students listen to "THE FRIDGE SONG".


STEP 4: The powerpoint presentation provided for the activity allows students to write their own version of the song, so they are arranged in small groups and work on what food items they will use in it. When they finish, they write their version of the song on the board.

STEP 5: Finally, they share their song with all their peers.

   

Activity - Downloadable


P.S. Steps 1 and 2 are interchangeable.

COOL TIP:

A nice activity to be done in the following day is:

1) Arrange students in two teams.
2) Project the images of the students' fridges' drawings and give them 1 minute to memorize them.
3) Ask them questions using IS THERE ANY...? and ARE THERE ANY...?

Ice Breaker for Day 1

For the first class of the semester, in order to get to know each other, students are asked to draw about themselves. For example, if they like pizza, they can draw a pizza. If they have pets, they can draw a dog. If they can play soccer or if soccer is their favorite sport, they can draw a soccer ball, and so on and so forth. After they finish and in case you have an I-pad, take a photo of their drawings and project them on the data show equipment. While you show them the photos, they tell their peers what those pictures represent. (For instance, I have a dog or this is my dog, I play soccer or my favorite soccer team is Flamengo, I like pizza, I have a guitar or I can play the guitar, etc.) In case students don't know what to draw, guide them by writing categories on bb (for instance FOOD, SOCCER TEAM, COLOR, DAY OF THE WEEK, PLACE IN TOWN, etc…) In the end, I collect all their drawings, so I can refer back to them as personal files. For a more advanced level, the same drawings can also be used in the following class for a Q/A Practice, a True or False Game or a Memory Game. In that case, students have to be able to use the third person singular. I arrange students in two teams and ask: Does ...... have a pet? or Can ...... play a musical instrument? What can he play? or Is .......married? American? From......? A soccer player? Etc...