SKILLSOUP neilmason tiagotavares
This link will take you to a directory in “Skydrive” where you can download some materials from the workshop. http://tinyurl.com/skillsoup-skydrive
Activities · Ideas Culture Quest resource · quest worksheets
Sherlock Holmes Pocahontas
reading · writing
Video Challenge listening · reading resource · explanation and instructions for teachers · example worksheet for class Design Challenge writing · reading resource · explanation and instructions for teachers · challenge brief Show & Tell writing · speaking resource · explanation and instructions for teachers Being the Change various resource · explanation and instructions for teachers
http://tinyurl.com allows you to create short URL addresses for websites. We have used tinyurl for all the links in this workshop. Why not try it for yourself?
Culture Quest
resource · idea sheet [instructions for teacher] · worksheet for class
Idea There are many cultural figures that we — and many of our students — have heard of. The trouble sometimes is knowing which ones are real and which ones are fantasy. For example — many people think that Sherlock Holmes was a real person because there is a museum in Baker Street in London. But he was just a character in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There are other figures, such as Pocahontas, who seem like fantasy “fairy tale” figures, but are based on real people and real history.
Skills
· reading As students do their research for the information they require, they will have to read some real material from the internet. They will not understand everything they read — but the task requires them to understand enough to come to a satisfactory conclusion.
· writing To answer the questions students will have to write down some information to show where they got the information. We are not looking for grammatical accuracy with the writing — but there will probably be some copied phrases that the students will use and will understand. · 21st century skills There are other useful skills which are not directly connected to English language learning.
Critical thinking · they are asked to question sources.
Research techniques · they are required to search the internet — this is a skill which can prove useful in life.
OTHER OPTIONS GB – King Arthur, Merlin, Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie … USA – Davy Crocket, Grizzly Adams, Geronimo, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain … NOTE Sherlock Holmes — Fantasy Figure, Literature and film Pocahontas — Historical Figure, Disney story changed some facts
Culture Quest — student worksheet
The Sherlock Holmes Museum 221b Baker Street London NW1 6XE England
Here are the instructions for your CULTURE QUEST:
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John H. Watson
1. Look for Sherlock Holmes’ home (221b Baker Street) in London. What is the Tube Station called?
Holmes and Watson lived at 221b Baker Street between 1881-1904. The house is protected by the government due to its "special architectural and historical interest", while the 1st floor study overlooking Baker Street is still faithfully maintained for posterity as it was kept in Victorian Times.
2. Do some research to discover if Sherlock Holmes really existed or if he was just fantasy. Man or myth?
Step back in time, and when you visit London, remember to visit The World's Most Famous Address - 221b Baker Street - the Official Home of Sherlock Holmes!
4. Did you find other interesting information as well?
____________________________
3. Did you find your answers on the internet? Can you be sure that you can trust the information you found?
© PORTO EDITORA: Neil Mason · Tiago Tavares · Edite Frias
Culture Quest — student worksheet
Pocahontas was an American Indian at the time when the first settlers went to live in America. Pocahontas was the daughter of the Indian chief Powhatan. Pocahontas didn’t marry John Smith — she married a man called John Rolfe and they moved to England. She died at the age of 22. Fact or fantasy? Was she real … or just a Disney fairytale?
Here are the instructions for your CULTURE QUEST: 1. Look for information about Pocahontas. See if you can discover the truth. Was she a real American Indian Princess — or is that all fantasy? 2. Did you find your answers on the internet? Can you be sure that you can trust the information you found? 3. Where did you find the answers you were looking for? Write down the different sources you found. 4. What other interesting information did you discover?
Pocahontas saving John Smith.
© PORTO EDITORA: Neil Mason · Tiago Tavares · Edite Frias
Video Challenge
resource · idea sheet [instructions for teacher] · worksheet for class
Idea The great thing about using this video is that there is no speaking — the students don’t need to know much English to be able to understand everything.
Skills · reading In order to answer the questions, students need to be able to understand what they read. This is a disguised reading exercise — they think the goal is simply to answer the questions.
· listening In this case the students are not asked to do any actual listening. For the answer to question 11 the students need to understand the phone conversation to answer the question. If we are using a song, or excerpt from a film, we can practise and test listening skills very easily.
· speaking [pronunciation] If we use a song — might expect students to practise pronunciation especially. · autonomy / motivation Students will go to YouTube for entertainment … it is not difficult to motivate them to do so. There are many opportunities for them to practise English on their own. There are numerous ways to use YouTube (and other video sites) for students to do projects, research, practise, linking with the theme, keeping material up-to-date. IDEA — why not use YOUTUBE with the culture quest? SHERLOCK HOLMES TRAILER, for example.
1. trocados (moedas) / mudança 2. b) coffee & matches
7. b) a new job 8. a flower
3. a) a little boy
9. the flower
4. b) a woman 5. b) kissed it for good luck
10. a) phone her parents 11. “I want to come home.” (or “mum, I wanna come home”.
6. vacancy
12. a) a lucky penny
Video Challenge — student worksheet CHANGE FOR A DOLLAR
Watch the video · can you answer these questions? http://tinyurl.com/skillsoup-v01 1. What does the word mean on the card the man is holding? 2. What does he buy in the supermarket? a) coffee and bread b) matches and coffee
c) matches and food
3. Who does the man look at in the supermarket? a) a little boy b) a woman
c) a dog
4. He gives the coffee to … a) a little boy b) a woman
c) no one
5. What does the lady do with the penny the man put on the floor? a) used it to buy some coffee b) kissed it for good luck 6. What did the sign in the shop window say?
7. What does the woman get in the shop? a) a cup of coffee and some food b) a new job 8. The man gives some money to the girl — what does she give him?
9. What does he give to the man who was fighting with the woman?
10. The girl uses the coin to … a) phone her parents b) buy some food 11.What did the girl say on the telephone?
“I want
c) buy a cup of coffee
“.
12.What does the boy put in the man’s cup at the end of the film? a) a lucky penny c) a dollar c) nothing
Do you need a lot of money to make a change? What can you do today to change someone’s life? © PORTO EDITORA: Neil Mason · Tiago Tavares · Edite Frias
Design Challenge
resource · ideas for teachers · challenge brief
Idea Often with young students we spend some time colouring and doing graphic stuff. Then they grow up and we can’t “waste time” on such silly stuff. However, our students skills in creating posters, etc., is pretty basic — and there isn’t much time to spend on it in class. Why not a DESIGN CHALLENGE to help students become graphically more literate. Learn about: Typefaces / fonts HELVETICA, TIMES NEW ROMAN, COMIC SANS SCRIPT How do you design a poster? Graphic design is a valid area for students to learn useful skills for both school and the world in general.
Skills · reading Research and find out how to make a good poster design. There are many sites on the net to teach some design skills. · writing When students create design work, like posters for the classroom, they will probably write some text. · Other skills Besides the design skills students may acquire, this exercise aims to develop pride in the presentation of their schoolwork. The skills can be transferred to all school subjects and areas of study and employment in the future. Graphic skills should spill over into better powerpoint presentations — eventually! Ideas for Design Challenge Ask students to make posters for:
displaying schoolwork events held at school or department for class or school competitions for festivals (Christmas, New Year) to raise money for a charity or organization a class design concept — logotype, etc.
DESIGN CHALLENGE Here are the instructions for your DESIGN CHALLENGE. You are going to design a poster. You need to discover about graphic design. What fonts (types of letters) should you use? Designers generally think that Comic Sans script is not a good font to use for serious work. Should you use Times New Roman? Helvetica? What other fonts can you discover? Here are some sites to help you.
www.1001freefonts.com
www.dafont.com
Find out who invented Comic Sans Script. Find out when and why they invented it. Look for examples of good design on google images, for example.
http://tinyurl.com/skillsoup-poster01
Find websites with great examples of posters and graphic design.
http://tinyurl.com/skillsoup-poster02
Make a poster to show what you learned about design.
漏 PORTO EDITORA: Neil Mason 路 Tiago Tavares 路 Edite Frias
Show & Tell
resource · teacher instruction sheet Idea Show & Tell has been used for many many years, especially in American schools. Students are required to share something with the rest of the class. They show something to everyone — and they tell everyone about it. Students can a give short oral presentation (length and level should be appropriate to guidelines for A1 and A2 of the Common European Framework). Students will need to prepare ahead of time, however, they should not read, but it would be normal for them to memorize sections of their presentation — the same way that many of us need to when presenting in public!
Skills · writing Students should spend time preparing their presentation. · speaking For us as teachers, a Show & Tell session gives the perfect opportunity for us to listen to each one of our students and possibly evaluate their speaking skills. · other skills Presentation skills are some of the most important skills that students need to develop in education. For many of them the success of their academic life will depend on this ability — to stand up and speak in public! Students can use their POSTER from the design challenge to present in a Show & Tell session. Ideas Present family photographs Talk about your last holiday Talk about your favourite sport / hobby Tell about the problems of the environment (Presentations should be no longer than 1–3 minutes — students at the level of 7th, 8th and 9th have limited ability to maintain extended dialogue for longer periods of time.)
Being the Change
resource · teacher instruction sheet
Idea Kids want to change the world. They don’t know how, all they know is that there is a need for CHANGE . There are many organizations which began with children getting involved in some issues. Some of these include:
· Human Trafficking and Slavery Zach Hunter, 13 years old when he started a nationwide anti-slavery campaign Loose Change to Loosen Chains
· Dry Tears Campaign Conner Cress and friends (±16 years old) clean water in Africa campaign
· Free the Children Craig Kielburger, 13 years old when he started his organization with 7th grade classmates.
Skills · multi Students can be encouraged to become involved in any issue which is close to their hearts. They can read about it on the internet — most information will be in English. They may want to make posters, present in their Show & Tell and generally get creative about their involvement. · listening There are videos on any number of social issues, from Slavery of Cocoa pickers in the Ivory Coast, to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” film. Students will search for and watch videos of their own interest. · other skills Teens who have become involved in social issues have developed presentation skills, confidence, leadership skills, are more knowledgeable about the world and also become more motivated and independent in their language learning. ideas Encourage students to pick up on social issues which may be covered in their text books and work within the theme of what we are covering in the classroom. Encourage displays, events, presentations and any work that students are happy to do autonomously.
SKILLSOUP neilmason tiagotavares online version: http://tinyurl.com/skillsoup-flipbook1