Cinderella

Once upon a time , there was this teacher who loved telling stories to her students...

Story telling part

 Start the story by describing the main character without showing Ss any picture. Use simple sentences and grade your language so as to activate their schematic knowledge successfully.

See Slide 1

Cinderella lesson

As soon as Ss guess who you are talking about ask Ss to make a line in the middle of the class. You can use a colorful tape to show SS where exactly they are supposed to stand. Tell SS one of the sides of the line means TRUE and the other means FALSE.  You can also use signs to show this division more clearly.

Display sentences on the board about the story and ask them to jump to the side of the class which indicates their opinion about it (true / false). Ss bodies’ movements will certainly show their level of understanding about the sentences. Their previous knowledge about the story will help them to perform the task successfully.

After getting this feedback ask SS to sit down and show them a part of the story.

Language Focus

-          Vocabulary about clothes (I`m wearing…) and colors.

Show Ss three pictures of Cinderella and ask them to put these pictures in order.

Cinderella`s pictures

After ordering Cinderella’s pictures elicit the difference among them. Ss might easily spot the colors as the main difference. Based on that, ask what Cinderella is wearing.

Now you are ready to teach the vocabulary as suitable to your syllabus and learner`s needs.

CLIL based activity.

Ask Ss to order some sentences about Cinderella`s story. ( You should create your own sentences according to your students` level of English.)

After getting feedback on the organization ask SS what the Prince did on the day after the “big party”.

Depending on their familiarity with the language Ss will point out that the Prince asked every single girl in the neighborhood to try the shoe he was carrying on. 

Ask Ss if it was easy or difficult to find Cinderella. And after getting their answers, invite a S to come to the center of the class and ask him to take off their shoes. Take yours off as well and exchange them with your student. Its crystal clear that the shoes won`t fit neither you nor the student. Ask SS why and teach them the chunk “It`s too big” and “It`s too small”

See slide 4

After drilling and practicing the structure with your students, have them come to the middle of the class. They all should take their shoes off. Ask SS to close their eyes. Mix the shoes up and invite one by one to find their shoes only by touching them with their feet. They cannot open their eyes whilst trying to find the shoes. As soon as they get their shoes ask them to leave the circle.

After having everybody got the new shoes, ask them if they are ok with the shoes. If they say no, you should ask “Why? What`s the problem?”And Ss are supposed to say “It`s too big” or “It`s too small”

This is what happened in my class.

The ugly Duckling

First of all, I should say thanks to @pri_vanderlei for being so helpful and supportive.

This time let`s start the lesson differently!!!

Story- telling part

 Have SS in pairs to solve a jigsaw puzzle. Get the poster I am providing you with and cut in small pieces so as to create a puzzle.

The ugly duckling poster (puzzle)

Provide SS with a sheet of paper and glue. Tell them to put the pieces together by gluing them on the blank paper. Set time and let them have fun.

Ask them which story they remember when looking at the picture.

Show them one of the countless videos you can find on line. Here`s my suggestion.

After having SS watch the video , highlight some vocabulary ( slide 2) . Check meaning and then highlight form and pronunciation, if necessary.

The ugly Duckling lesson

Write on a sheet of paper the word YES and on another one the word NO. Have students in a line in the middle of the class. Tell them they are going to move from one side to the other according to the sentences you are about to show them. Model the first sentence.(slide 3)

Language Focus:  Opposite adjectives

Use the fact that one duckling was ugly and the others were beautiful to introduce the idea of opposite adjectives.

Use the slides 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 and 8.

Do not forget to write the words down on the board and provide them with focus on meaning, form and pronunciation.

Provide SS with a handout where they have to brainstorm through drawing or words what they consider beautiful, small and etc…

Opposite adjectives- handout

CLIL based activities: Birds life cycle

Show Ss slide 9 and after eliciting the animals` names from the SS try to have them reflect on the similarity among these animals. (They all have their bodies covered with feathers.)

Show SS an egg and tell them all the birds come from eggs. Then show SS a fast video so as to illustrate the birds` life cycle. ( IN this case - chicken )

Provide SS with a handout and ask them to draw what they remember from the video they have just watched.

Birds` life cycle

Hang the pictures on the wall and have SS take a look at them.

CLIL based activities: Arts and crafts.

To round up the lesson have students create a cute duckling. It`s easy and fast.

Cute ducky craft

The Three Little Pigs.

Lesson Plan

Story Telling Part

Start your lesson by teaching two really important words – house and apartment building. You can ask students where they live, if the live in a house or in an apartment building and if it`s big or small.(slide 1)

http://www.slideshare.net/LeandraDias/three-little-pigs-houses

1-        1-Create a story telling environment. Ask SS to sit on the floor in a circle.

2-       Elicit animals’ names from them and ask if they remember any story about three animals.

3-      2-Show them slide 2 and then teach them the vocabulary from slide 3.

4-     Invite Ss to watch a video about the story.

5-     After having SS watch the video, you can start focusing on the houses in the story and the materials they are made of (slide 4). At this part it is important that you have SS reflect about which one is the safest house. Bringing the material the houses are made of is an excellent idea.

6-      4-Orally, try to retell the story with the SS.

7-      5-Ask SS to draw their favorite part of the story so as to make another story tree.  SS loved the idea of having a story telling “wood” in the class.  

-      6-Have SS create wolves and pigs paper crafts. 

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mwolf.html

Language Focus

Houses

Parts of the house

Furniture

You can adapt this part according to your syllabus.

CLIL based activities

One world, different houses – geography

1-      Revise all the house and furniture vocabulary they have learned so far.

2-      Show Ss a video and elicit all the vocabulary they have learned. My SS got amazed by the house and the pieces of furniture. Name different students each time you pause the video, so as the make sure they are all able to produce the language they acquired.

3-      Go through slides and show SS different types of houses all around the world. At this point name, places , materials and ask  whether SS would like to live in those houses or not.

4-      Project- My dreamy house= Provide SS with paper and ask them to dram their DREAMY house.

5-      Whenever SS finish , display their work on the wall and have them vote for the most creative house.

 Creating and decorating your house - Arts and crafts

Have SS create houses using shoes boxes. I got my ideas from this wonderful website.


http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/buildingstownscitiesartscraftstideasprojectskids.html

You can also have SS fill their houses with furniture!!! Visit this website in order to learn how to make play dough.  Thank you very much  Louise Winsor @louwinsr


http://nurturestore.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/playdough-book.pdf

Fairy tales in the Yl Classroom.

Through the ages in history, we can find concrete proof of how stories have influenced human cognitive and cultural development. Stories are also part of children’s imaginary world and play an important role in their learning since they refer back to a great number of social situations which will be later lived by children.

Fairy Tales are a great example of this since they help children deal with their feelings, problems and fear. The connection which is created between the child`s imaginary world and  the real world should also be highlighted here.

I have had the chance of presenting a workshop on how blending Fairy Tales with some ideas on CLIL could provide YL with a memorable and meaningful learning experience.

If you are not familiar with the CLIL approach , please pay a visit to :What is CLIL ? via @AtriptoCLIL


The first Fairy Tale I will be presenting here is 

 If you don't remember the story by heart , check  Jack and the Beanstalk.

Lesson plan:

-Story telling part

1- Students match  a few Fairy tales pictures and their titles. ( 

2- T tells students the story by using pictures she created . ( I used the walls in my classroom to make the scenery. The castle was displayed at the top of the wall and the house at its bottom.

3- Ss retells  the story  in groups by using pictures.Ask Ss to walk around and check their friends` work.

4- In order to work with vocabulary from the story, choose the pieces which are more relevant for you and create a domino or even a memory game activity and then you decide which focus you want to give to meaning, form and pronunciation. Drills are welcome at this stage.

5-To check comprehension you can ask Ss to draw their favourite part of the story on a leave ( Get a sheet of paper and cut in a leave format) you  will provide them with.

Stick a tree trunk you will create with brown paper and ask SS, one by one , to stand up and stick their leaves on the tree. Students can compare their work and retell the story by explaining their drawings.

Language Focus:

You can work with opposite adjectives  always referring back to the story

Big- small ( Jack`s house and the giant`s castle)

Tall- short ( Jack and the Giant )

Near- far ( Jack`s house and the giant`s Castle)

Right- wrong ( Jack`s attitude)

Good - Bad ( Jack and the Giant)

Clil based activities:

 My size in the beanstalk  : Maths

When telling the story I created a beanstalk with paper ( use the one you think is the most appropriate to highlight the stalk growth)

- Ask Ss ,one by one, to stand up next to the bean stalk and mark their sizes - Later you can revise numbers and ask students to compare their height. You can also ask Ss to line up from the shortest to the tallest.

You can also work with the notion of small and big with the younger ones.

 Plants  growth – Sciences

- Get cotton , small plastic cups and water .Have Ss  plant beanstalks!!! ( Get the cotton wet and place it inside the cup - fill just half of the cup- and then put the seeds inside ( only one is enough).

At this stage ,you can work with the most common types of plants in your city or country and what is necessary to make a plant to grow healthily .

After having Ss "plant the beans" , label cups with Ss names and display in a corner in your classroom , so that Ss can check on them everyday. Don`t forget to tell Ss to water the beans.

After some time you will have to find a place outside the class to plant them.

If you try this activity in your class , please let me know.

And do not forget:

-Choose the story carefully

-Don’t make you lesson too girly.

-Go through tips to become a good story  teller.

-Vary the material and the activities

- Make it interactive and memorable.

 Hope you find it sweet, pleasant and memorable.